Man arrested in investigation of shooting 2 boys with BB gun; family responds

GARDEN CITY, Rich County — A man was arrested for investigation of assault after two kids were hit by shots from a BB gun over the weekend.

Timothy Glade Holdaway, 53, was arrested for investigation of two counts of assault, a class B misdemeanor.

On Saturday around 5:20 p.m., an officer with the Rich County Sheriff's Office responded to reports of a man shooting BB gun pellets at two boys at the Trail Side KOA Journey campground in Garden City, according to a police affidavit.

The responding officer noted both boys showed signs of being struck by BBs and continued to gather witness descriptions of the man who had shot at them, the police report said.

"Witnesses described the suspect as an older male with gray hair, a gray shirt, a hat and a goatee/facial hair," the police report said. "Witnesses indicated that the man fired shots from the area of the employee housing located west of the campground."

The responding officer found Holdaway lived in the area where the pellets were shot from, according to the police report.

Police said Holdaway "generally matched the description provided by witnesses." The police report also noted Holdaway had time to remove facial hair described by witnesses.

"(A) witness who observed the incident positively and confidently identified Holdaway as the person who fired the BB gun, noting that the shooter had facial hair at the time of the incident," the police report stated. "Holdaway otherwise matched the physical description provided by witnesses."

While Holdaway denied involvement or even owning a BB gun, a neighbor told police that Holdaway owned a BB gun and used it to shoot at trash cans and squirrels, according to the police report.

Liliana Padilla-Perez, a Salt Lake resident and mother of the two boys who were shot by BBs, said the family is devastated and trying to understand why someone would target their children in what they describe as a cowardly attack.

Like many families, Padilla-Perez said her and her family look forward to making memories at Bear Lake, but this year took an unexpected and disturbing turn.

"Next thing you know, my daughter is screaming, and she's like, 'They're shooting at the boys. They're shooting at the boys,'" Padilla-Perez said.

Padilla-Perez said one of the boys was shot in the ear, which was bleeding, swollen and red. Her other son had a BB gun bullet mark on his chest. Both boys were crying after the incident took place.

While the investigation remains active and ongoing, Padilla-Perez said the incident was unprovoked.

"(The shooter) started shooting out of nowhere, like he didn't say anything," Padilla-Perez said.

Padilla-Perez said her concern is for her children and other families.

"I love Bear Lake. It's been, like I said, a family tradition, but I'm definitely really scared now," Padilla-Perez said. "I mean, how do I explain to them that there are evil people like this?"

The investigation remains active and ongoing.

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