14-Year-Old Asking for Directions to School Is Mistaken for Burglar by Shotgun-Wielding Homeowner

In April, after missing his bus to school, 14-year-old Brennan Walker went looking for help — walking up to a home in Rochester Hills, Michigan, to ask for directions.

In surveillance footage from the home released last week, Brennan, who is black, can be seen sprinting away from the front door as Jeffrey Zeigler, who is white, takes aim at him and fires once — but misses.

On Friday, a Michigan jury found Zeigler, 53, guilty of assault with attempt to do great bodily harm and possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony, PEOPLE confirms.

Brennan was uninjured in the altercation.

During his trial, Zeigler testified that he believed Brennan was trying to break into his house.

Prosecutors tell PEOPLE that Zeigler, a retired Detroit firefighter, is facing a possible 12-year prison term when he is sentenced on Nov. 13. PEOPLE could not reach his attorney for comment.

Zeigler was arrested soon after the incident and charged with assault with intent to commit murder. The jury acquitted him on that count.

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Oakland County Sheriff’s Office

Brennan started therapy following the April 12 incident, his mother, Lisa Wright,told NBC News.

“This will affect my son forever,” she said.

“She asked me, ‘Why are you trying to break into my house?’ and I told her I was just looking for directions to Rochester High,” Walker recalled.

According to WDIV, Zeigler’s wife called the police, reporting that “a black male was trying to break into her house and her husband chased after him into the yard.”

Zeigler fired on Brennan with his shotgun as the boy fled.

Wright told NBC that she has not ruled out a possible civil suit against Zeigler.

“Let me see him go to jail,” she said. “Let my son and myself heal.”

source: people.com