What did William Carson do? Wisconsin man sentenced to 16 years for shooting at children

William Carson, who was convicted of open firing at a group of children throwing snowballs at his car in 2020, was sentenced to 16 years in prison on Friday, February 3, 2023.

Prosecutors had reportedly initially asked for a 25-year sentence for the Wisconsin man.

In November 2022, jurors found Carson guilty of two counts of first-degree reckless injury and five counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety. According to prosecutors, two of the seven children had sustained gunshot wounds to the thigh and arm, while a third child's jacket was grazed by a bullet.

According to court documents, Judge Michael Hanrahan further sentenced William Carson to 10 years of extended supervision, during which he must maintain either full-time employment or school enrollment as well as sobriety. Judge Hanrahan said at the hearing:

"There is this other side of you that is impulsive, reckless, violent — I think self-centered."

---

William Carson told officers that he had reportedly recently purchased the gun for self-defense

27-year-old Carson was handed a lengthy prison sentence for a shooting almost three years after the incident took place. According to court records, the convicted man opened fire on a group of seven children who were throwing snowballs at passing cars at Milwaukee’s north side in January 2020.

Two of the kids were hurt, while the third had narrowly escaped.

According to authorities, William Carson had immediately left the crime scene and was on the run for a week. Fox 6 reported that Carson was arrested more than a week after the shooting when police stopped him for driving under the influence.

They also recovered a gun from his car that was tested as “highly probable” for being the gun that was used in the shooting.

Carson, however, told authorities at the time of his arrest that he had recently purchased the weapon for self-defense purposes. He was later found guilty of two counts of first-degree reckless injury and five counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety.

Carson pleaded for leniency and mercy in court on Friday, citing his family and children. He told the judge:

"I'm asking you for leniency in my sentencing. I am asking for mercy in my sentencing. I miss my family. I miss my kids."

On Friday, the parent of a kid who was shot by William Carson spoke at his sentencing hearing. She described the aftermath of the shooting and its effects on her child in an emotional manner. She said:

"You really hurt us, and I really want you to pay for what you did to my family."

Several other victims also wrote that the incident left them with indelible physical and emotional scars.