Father Tracks Down Teenage Daughter's Phone Location, Shoots At Boy She Was With

Clarkesville -- A man tracked his teenage daughter's cell phone location and allegedly shot at a boy she was with at a church in Georgia.

Deputies arrived at the scene Wednesday after receiving a 911 call about a gunshot being fired at the parking lot of a church in Clarkesville. Police said Dustin Vandegrift, 36, tracked his 17-year-old daughter's cell phone location to the parking lot of the Central Alliance Church in Mount Airy, WSB-TV reported.

Vandegrift told investigators he went to check on his daughter and found her with a 17-year-old boy. The father allegedly attacked the boy before shooting him, according to a statement released by the Habersham County Sheriff's Office.

The unidentified 911 caller reported hearing a gunshot from behind the church. The person also saw a young male and female fighting, the statement said.

Vandegrift was trying to escape from the scene in a car when deputies arrived. He was detained and taken into custody, while the injured teenage boy was taken to the hospital. Authorities said the boy was in stable condition.

Investigators said the boy did not suffer a gunshot wound. He sustained injuries "from the physical assault and ricochet debris," the sheriff's office said.

Two nearby schools, the Habersham Central High School and the Ninth Grade Academy, were placed on lockdown following the shooting. Authorities confirmed that no shots were fired inside the campuses, the Charlotte Observer reported.

Vandegrift's daughter told deputies that her father showed up at the parking lot and battered the boy who was with her. She also said the enraged father took a shot at him before striking her at the scene.

Investigators searched Vandegrift's vehicle and found a .45 caliber M1911 revolver.

"Following several interviews, the service of the vehicle search warrant, and the review of the physical evidence, Vandegrift was arrested and charged," the sheriff’s office said.

The father is facing charges of aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, simple battery involving family violence, two counts of first-degree cruelty to children, two counts of third-degree cruelty to children and two counts of recklessly causing harm or endangering safety.