Police: After Long Island bullying incident, dad shoots culprit's grandfather

NORTH AMITYVILLE, N.Y. (WABC) -- Police are accusing a man of shooting the grandfather of a boy who bullied his daughter.

According to Suffolk County Police, Anthony Franklin was upset that his 5-year-old daughter had her hair pulled by another student on a bus ride to school. On Tuesday, Franklin went to the North Amityville home of the boy he believed was involved and got into a fight with the grandfather of the boy.

During the altercation, Franklin pulled out a gun and shot McWilliams twice, said Suffolk police.

Franklin, 28, of North Amityville, was charged with second-degree assault.

The suspect's fiance says this entire thing was self defense and that the gun wasn't his. She says she came to the boy's house to have a conversation with his mother after this hair pulling incident.

"He pulled my hair and he called me the B word. He touched my bookbag and scratched me in the forehead," is what 5-year old Thjanique said a boy did to her on the school bus Tuesday afternoon.

"She tells me that this little boy bothers her everyday," said Thjanique's mother Ayesha Clinton.

Ayesha says she and Franklin had had enough.

She says they went over to the boy's house on Albany Avenue to have a conversation with the boy's mother.

The boy's grandfather answered the door.

"Anthony didn't just walk into his house. Anthony was pulled into his house," said Clinton. "Then the guy reached for something and of course no one is going to stand there and get shot. So my boyfriend is tussling with this man and that's what happened>"

Police say Franklin shot the grandfather Wilson McWilliams in the leg and buttock.

Clinton says the gun wasn't Franklin's because he doesn't own one.

"I want everybody to know that Anthony just didn't go into this man's house and shoot him. He never had the intention of getting shot," she said. "If someone pulls out a gun on you. it's self defense. I guess they're struggling for it something can happen. Just because he didn't physically get hurt doesn't mean that he wasn't a victim."

Prosecutors in court didn't make it clear if Franklin was armed when he went to the house.

McWilliams is in fair condition at Stony Brook University Hopsital. Franklin is behind bars tonight facing assault charges.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call (631) 854-8152.