Boy, 10, shot grandmother outside Uniontown church
Alyssa Choiniere | Herald-Standard
Elmer “Buzz” Hall, pastor at Solid Rock Ministries in Uniontown, said his “two most loved people” were impacted when his grandson, who is autistic, shot his wife on Thursday.
Alyssa Choiniere | Herald-Standard
Alyssa Choiniere | Herald-Standard
Ed Riedmann
Uniontown City Police responded to a shooting outside Solid Rock Ministries on Millview Street where they said a 10-year-old boy shot his grandmother twice. She is expected to survive.
A 10-year-old boy with autism broke into a locked compartment and took a gun at a Uniontown church, shooting his grandmother – the pastor’s wife – twice in the parking lot, police said.
Valerie Hall of Uniontown suffered a wound to a vital area in the parking lot of Solid Rock Ministries on Millview Street shortly after 5 p.m. Thursday when she confronted her grandson to hand over the gun. She was flown to Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, West Virginia and was in stable condition Friday.
The boy lives at the church with his grandparents, who have cared for him since he was six months old, said his grandfather and the church’s pastor, Elmer “Buzz” Hall.
The boy and his grandmother were at the church with six children and two adults for a Bible study and dance class when he found the keys to a locked bedroom in her purse in a hall closet. He rooted through his grandfather’s dressers and was able to open the locked gun safe. He fired shots at the church building and shot Hall when she tried to take the gun from him, police said.
“I was the one that was supposed to be there,” Elmer Hall said.
He was taking his son to run errands, outside of their normal routine. Hall said he thinks he could have gotten the boy to give him the gun as the child is sometimes “defiant” with his grandma.
Hall wondered if his grandson saw the incident like a video game, where a player shoots an on-screen character who is fine moments later.
“He’s 10 years old, but he has maybe a 4-year-old mentality. He’s smart, but he’s like a baby,” Hall said.
This summer, the boy’s behavior was better than ever before, his grandfather said. He said they have tried to manage his autism with counseling and medication. They recently spoke to a counselor, who decided to increase therapy to three days per week.
“[He] is an extrovert. He is outgoing and makes friends with complete strangers. Everyone loves him. He can be kind and gentle and nice,” he said. “But he has his moments.”
In 2018, the child accidentally caused a fire in the church. He had a fascination with lighters at the time, and found one in a purse set on the floor. He lit it and ignited sheer curtains, then came to his grandfather in a panic.
Among the boy’s many friends are the members of the Uniontown City Police Department. He had a long fascination with the show, “Cops.” Thursday night, he found himself in their custody.
“They had him all shackled up, and he just leaned up against me. They took the shackles off him and he just ran up and hugged me. He cried. We both cried,” Elmer Hall said. “I told him last night, ‘Buddy, I can’t help you out of this one.'”
Hall saw his grandson again at his court appearance Friday.
“He’d turn back and look at me wanting me to help him. Nothing I could do,” he said with a heavy sigh. “It was hard. Really hard. Really hard. The two most loved people in my life.”
The boy is being kept at a juvenile detention facility three hours north, Hall said. He said the boy does well with a routine, and he hopes he will now get better help and treatment.
“I know God’s going to take care of that baby for us. He’s going to be OK. He’s going to work this out. We’re going to be a family again,” he said.
Uniontown City Police Lt. Tom Kolencik said the boy told officers “he was sorry and didn’t mean it.”
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Mrs. Hall and her family, but a major concern is getting the boy the care and treatment he needs as well,” Kolencik said.
The boy faces attempted homicide and other charges, and Kolencik said no charges will be filed against the Halls, noting they exercised due diligence in securing the weapon.
“I know, as a police officer in the community, Mr. and Mrs. Hall take good care of their grandson,” Kolencik said.
He said the incident is a good reminder for adults to discuss the dangers of guns with children, and to always keep them in a secure location.
“This was in a locked room inside of a locked compartment, and the (boy) was still able to get it, so that tells you that you have to be so diligent,” he said. “We learned last night that’s still not enough sometimes.”
Kolencik said there was an “amazing show of support” on the scene from neighbors and those in the church. They were calm and helped first responders, he said.
“Some of the kids heard and saw what happened. There were a lot of parents there to help kids that weren’t even theirs,” he said. “It was an amazing show of a nice neighborhood. We had extra hands everywhere.”
Elmer Hall said his mission is to help the community. He and his wife have a long history of service, providing help and direction to prostitutes, assisting homeless people and serving as a community hub after the tornado in 2018.
“We’re going to stay here. We’re going to keep pushing forward, because even in the midst of this, we won’t stand back. We won’t stop. We won’t give up. We’ll keep pushing forward,” he said.
Earlier that day, a woman stopped by the church with blisters on her feet. Hall gave her socks, and said he wished he could have done more. Being unable to help is the hardest thing for him, he said.
“But we need a little help too, sometimes, and one of those things is for people to be understanding,” he said tearfully. “We all go through things we don’t like, but we’ve got to push forward. I’d like to get my grandson back and keep going like this never happened.”