Boy critical after being shot in chest with BB gun
On July 13, 2018, Madison County Sheriff’s Office Investigators arrested Edward S. Highers, 26, of 11 Radnor Road, Morrisville, on charges of first-degree assault (class B felony), first-degree reckless endangerment (class D felony) and endangering the welfare of a child (class A misdemeanor).
On July 12, 2018, shortly after 10 p.m., deputies responded to the Community Memorial Hospital of Hamilton for a report of a child that had been shot to the chest with a BB gun. Investigation revealed that Highers shot a 9-year-old boy with a BB gun.
Highers was playing a game with the boy called “one pump,” where each would pump the BB gun and shoot each other. On one occasion, Highers pumped the gun several times and shot the boy in the chest, causing the BB to become lodged next to his heart.
The boy was transported to CMH, then was deemed to be in critical condition and transported to SUNY Upstate Medical University Hospital in Syracuse. At this time, the child is still in the hospital being treated for the injury.
Highers was arraigned in Hamilton Town Court and remanded to the Madison County Jail in lieu of $10,000 cash or $20,000 bond. Highers is scheduled to return to court July 16, 2018, to answer the charges.