(WHDH) — A BB gun-wielding man is facing criminal charges after he allegedly opened fire on a woman in a fight over car keys, leaving her with life-altering injuries, authorities said.
Nicholas Wheeler, 20, of Zephyrhills, Florida, was arrested Wednesday on charges including aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and resisting arrest, according to a Pasco Sheriff’s Office complaint affidavit.
Deputies responding to a report of a shooting at 4710 5th St. around 3 p.m. found a woman suffering serious injuries and witnessed Wheeler flee the scene on foot, the affidavit stated.
The victim reportedly told deputies that Wheeler had opened fire on her with a BB gun during an argument over the key to her car. Witnesses were able to corroborate her story, authorities said.
Deputies wrote in the affidavit that Wheeler shot the victim multiple times, “intentionally causing great bodily harm and permanent disfigurement.”
After allegedly resisting arrest in an attempt to evade capture, Wheeler is said to have told deputies that he had gotten into “a physical altercation” with the victim.
Wheeler was reportedly on felony probation for fleeing the scene of a prior accident.
The incident remains under investigation.
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