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Suspect charged with shooting children who threw snowballs at car

**Embargo: Milwaukee, WI** William Carson is charged with two counts of first-degree reckless injury with a dangerous weapon and five counts of recklessly endangering safety with a dangerous weapon.

MILWAUKEE, WI (WISN ) — Detectives matched a gun found in a chase suspect’s car to a scene where two children were shot after throwing snowballs at passing cars, court records show.

William Carson is charged in the Jan. 4 shooting on Birch Avenue in Milwaukee.


According to a criminal complaint, seven children were throwing snowballs at vehicles that day.

When one snowball hit a car, the complaint said, the driver turned around, got out of his car and started shooting at the group of children.

Two of the children suffered gunshot wounds but survived.

Another child’s jacket was grazed by a bullet.

The complaint said Oak Creek officers stopped Carson, 24, after a chase and found a gun in his car.

According to the court documents, police test fired the gun and believe it was the same gun used in the shooting.

The complaint said Carson purchased the gun 11 days before the shooting.

He was charged with two counts of first-degree reckless injury with a dangerous weapon and five counts of recklessly endangering safety with a dangerous weapon.

Carson appeared in court Sunday for an initial appearance.

He was held in the Milwaukee County Jail on $35,000 bail.

Carson was scheduled to be back in court on Feb. 25.