Mom shoots New Zealander who flew to US to 'knife' teen he met online

The 25-year-old reached the girl's home in Richmond, Virginia carrying a knife, pepper spray and duct tape

A mother shot a New Zealand man who travelled to the US to confront her 14-year-old daughter whom he had met online, CNN reported

Troy George Skinner, a 25-year-old, reached the girl's home in Richmond, Virginia last Friday, carrying a knife, pepper spray and duct tape, local police said.

"I need some help, I've hitchhiked here 30 miles," he told her through the door. Then he broke the glass door and was about to unlock it when the girl's mother fired her handgun, hitting him in the neck. Skinner survived.

Skinner first met the girl on Discord, a chat site and platform for gamers. Several months afterwards, the girl stopped talking to him, despite Skinner's attempts to keep in touch.

After they stopped communicating, Skinner set out on an extensive journey to reach her home, flying from Auckland to Sydney to Los Angeles to Washington DC and then commuting by bus to Richmond.



The long trip signaled deliberate planning on Skinner's part, the authorities said.

"He was not invited here, he was not expected here, he had been told in the past that this daughter no longer wished to communicate with him," local police apprised the media.

Local police said that the girl's mother did not know about the communication.

"This was not random, this was not spontaneous, this was something very planned," the official added.

After arriving on the scene, the police transferred Skinner to the nearest medical centre, where he was treated.

"He is not the victim," said a police official. "That lady and her family members are the victims here."