An Ithaca man is facing multiple felony charges, including attempted murder, after allegedly trying to shoot a family member during a domestic dispute Monday evening.
Tompkins County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a reported domestic disturbance involving a firearm on Conifer Circle just before 8 p.m. While deputies were en route, dispatchers advised that two men were struggling over a rifle and that one had fled the scene with a .22 caliber firearm.
Deputies later spotted a man matching the suspect’s description running northeast on Hector Street. According to police, he had visible facial injuries and was non-compliant when approached. After a brief struggle, the man, identified as Frank White II, was taken into custody.
Witnesses told investigators that White had pointed the rifle at a family member and pulled the trigger, but the gun failed to discharge. He then fled the scene on foot, reportedly discarding the weapon nearby. Deputies later recovered the firearm.
White was treated for his injuries at the scene and declined further medical care. He is being held on charges of attempted murder, felony robbery, and criminal possession of a weapon, as well as misdemeanor charges of endangering the welfare of a child and obstructing governmental administration.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
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