Two 17-year-old boys from Citronelle escaped injury Monday night after gunfire struck the car they were riding in on Prine Road, leaving bullet holes in the trunk and rear windshield and narrowly missing both teens inside.
One of the bullets passed through the vehicle and struck the rear-view mirror, just inches from where the two boys were sitting side by side.
“So how close was them two boys sitting beside each other and six inches either way, we’d be having a different story,” said Draper Weaver, the father of one of the teenagers, who was riding in the passenger seat.
A Frightening Phone Call
Weaver said he was at home relaxing Monday night when he received a phone call from his son.
“He said, ‘Hey, hurry up, hurry up. Somebody is shooting at us and we on the way home.’ I thought he was joking because me and him play a lot,” Weaver said. “I could hear it in his voice, how scared he was.”
According to Citronelle Police Chief Chris McLean, the teens reported that someone in another vehicle opened fire on them Monday night as they traveled on Prine Road.
“They were traveling westbound on Prine Road from Highway 45 when they advised that they heard several gunshots,” McLean said. “They saw a vehicle behind them.”
Weaver believes the person in the other car may have followed his son and his friend after the teens stopped at a gas station.
“They left the gas station,” Weaver said. “And as he got on Prine Road and was hit it and he got on Prine Road, it was headed home. He’s had a car. They noticed that same car got really close to him, behind him.”
Confrontation Near the Driveway
Weaver said the vehicle he believes was involved in the shooting pulled up near his driveway shortly after the gunfire.
“I walked outside with my firearm, and they was flying down the driveway,” Weaver said. “And so I knew then how serious it was. And then when they pulled in, and they jumped out, ran inside, I kept going, I went inside, I got it, I got it, and I came out. I said, I’m out of my truck. And then the truck that was following in slow down at the road. And that’s how I knew. Why would you drive so fast? And how he didn’t come to a complete stop at my driveway.”
No one was injured in the shooting, but Chief McLean said the department is treating the case seriously given the broader climate of gun violence.
“With the amount of gun violence that we have, you know, just within this state, within the United States, we take all these cases very serious when it comes to gunplay,” McLean said.
Investigation Underway
Citronelle Police Department officials said they are investigating the shooting, which happened around 9:30 p.m. Monday as the two teens headed west on Prine Road. Officers recovered several rounds and shell casings from the scene.
As of the latest update, no arrests have been made in connection with the shooting. Citronelle is located in Mobile County, and the Citronelle Police Department is asking anyone with information about the incident to come forward as the investigation continues.
Prine Road shootings and similar incidents involving gunfire directed at occupied vehicles remain a serious concern for law enforcement agencies across South Alabama, and officials continue to urge residents with any information to contact investigators.