Man accused of shooting ding-dong-ditching teen held on bond. Victim is recovering

BOISE (Idaho Statesman) — A judge has set a $1 million bond for the Boise man accused of shooting a teenage boy in the leg after a group of boys ding-dong-ditched his home.

Darin Young, 45, faces two felony charges of aggravated battery and use of a firearm during the commission of a crime, according to court records.

If convicted of the aggravated battery charge, the firearm enhancement could add 15 years to his prison sentence, according to the presiding Judge Michael Lojek.

During Monday’s arraignment hearing, state prosecutors asked for $1 million bond and a no-contact order for the three boys involved. They also requested that Young surrender all firearms if released.

Last week, Young was arrested on suspicion of aggravated battery after reports came in of a 15-year-old shot on West Bunkerhill Street. A Boise police investigation found Young had fired a gun at a fleeing teen after he and a group of boys ding-dong-ditched Young’s home. “Ding-dong-ditching” is a prank in which kids ring the doorbell or knock on the door of a home and then run away.

According to state prosecutors, Young looked at Ring doorbell footage after the first knock from the boys, and his daughter recognized one of them as a former classmate.

Expecting the boys to return, Young took a pistol from his safe and waited in bushes outside his home.

When the boys did return, one of them approached the front porch to place a car radiator down, prosecutors said. Young then chased the victim toward his truck and shot him in the lower right thigh, near the buttocks.

The bullet shattered his pelvis, and he was admitted to the hospital for surgery. The victim has since returned home to recover, prosecutors said.

Young’s wife called authorities to report the boys’ behavior, which is what Boise Police originally showed up for, according to prosecutors. Around the same time, Meridian police responded to St. Luke’s after the shooting victim was taken to the hospital with a gunshot wound.

Prosecutors said Young and his wife did not initially tell responding officers about the shooting or a gun involved. When questioned about a reported shooting at his residence, Young’s account changed, prosecutors said. He said he may have had a gun in his holster that could have fallen out, but he did not remember firing it.

During a later interview with Boise police detectives, Young admitted to firing the gun but said the shooting was unintentional, prosecutors said.

The firearm had a manual safety, and Young could not explain how it had been disengaged, according to prosecutors. Prosecutors also said Young told detectives he never puts his finger on the trigger unless he intends to shoot.

Young admitted to detectives that the boys were unarmed, were fleeing and that they had not threatened him, prosecutors said.

The defense argued Young should be released on $50,000 bond, noting that he has no known criminal history.

They argued Young, who has lived in Idaho for eight years, is married with two teenage children and works as a manager for a building technology company, was not a flight risk and was willing to comply with the pretrial release conditions of surrendering his firearms.

Judge Lojek said he appreciated Young’s lack of criminal history but said the nature of the alleged offense and the circumstances surrounding it warranted a higher bond.

Young’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for Nov. 23 at 8:30 a.m. before Judge Theodora Tomlinson.