A Tennessee man has been charged with attempted second-degree murder after he shot a Domino’s delivery driver who tried to deliver a pizza to the wrong house.
A Cheatham County grand jury indicted Ryan Babcock, 32, on attempted second-degree murder, aggravated assault, three counts of reckless endangerment and vandalism, according to WSMV-TV and WZTV Nashville.
The charges stem from an April 29 incident in which an 18-year-old Domino’s delivery driver — identified as Caieden Wheeler — mistakenly pulled into Babcock’s driveway around 8 p.m. local time, according to a criminal complaint from the Ashland Police Department obtained by NBC News and WZTV Nashville. .
When Wheeler got out of his car, Babcock’s neighbor stopped him, and he went across the yard to deliver the pizza. When Wheeler returned to his car, still parked in the driveway, Babcock came out of his house and began “shooting at him,” according to the complaint.
The driver immediately pulled out of the driveway and sped off. Police said in the complaint, according to NBC News, that Wheeler’s pickup truck was found with three bullet holes located next to the gas tank, above the driver’s side window and in the front driver’s side wheel and tire.
“The shot that hit my driver’s side window, if it had gone a few inches down, it probably would have hit me in the head and I probably wouldn’t be here right now,” Wheeler told WZTV Nashville.
In a Cheatham County affidavit obtained by WZTV Nashville, Babcock admitted to shooting the person in his driveway. He said he saw a person run from his truck to another truck parked in his driveway and shot the person because he believed they were trying to break into his truck.
Officers found the 9 mm Babcock pistol used in the shooting and seven shell casings from the pistol scattered in the driveway and yard, in an electrical outlet.
The City of Ashland Police Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
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Wheeler filed a lawsuit against Babcock and Domino’s, alleging emotional distress and negligence, according to WSMV-TV. In his lawsuit, according to the outlet, he stated that his truck did not have the Domino sign on top because he was not an ordinary worker and only delivered pizza because the facility was understaffed.
Babcock was arrested, although media reports indicated he was released on $50,000 bail. His next court appearance is scheduled for Sept. 9, WSMV-TV reports.
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