Man tries to shoot mouse but hits friend in chest... then cops arrive and find girl, 13, locked in closet and arrest roommate on child sex abuse charges

By Daily Mail Reporter
Updated:

A 34-year-old man has been arrested for child sex abuse after a bizarre shooting led police to discover a 13-year-old girl hiding in his home.

Police say one of four adult men living in the Taylorsville, Utah residence was attempting to shoot a mouse with a 9mm handgun when the bullet penetrated a wall and hit another roommate in the chest.

Officers responded to the scene at approximately 2:00am on Monday and arrested a third roommate, Paul Daniel Kunzler, after the teenage girl was found hiding in a closet in the basement.

Suspect: Paul Daniel Kunzler, 34, was arrested on Tuesday for investigation of rape of a child, sodomy of a child and sexual abuse of a child

Suspect: Paul Daniel Kunzler, 34, was arrested on Tuesday for investigation of rape of a child, sodomy of a child and sexual abuse of a child

Deseret News reports the girl was interviewed by representatives of the Children's Justice Center and disclosed that she and Kunzler had been involved in a sexual relationship.

Taylorsville Police Sergeant Tracy Wyant said the girl and Kunzler, 34, met through a mutual friend about four months ago.

It is believed the girl had run away from her father's home to be with the man. It was not known how long she had been at the residence, or if the other three roomates knew about the relationship.

Zach Baker, who lives in the basement, told KSTU-TV he slept through the gunshot and was shocked to see officers surrounding him and a 13-year-old girl.

Accidental: Police say one of four adult men living in the home was attempting to shoot a mouse with a 9mm handgun when the bullet penetrated a wall and hit another roommate in the chest

Accidental: Police say one of four adult men living in the home was attempting to shoot a mouse with a 9mm handgun when the bullet penetrated a wall and hit another roommate in the chest

'I'd never seen the girl there before and I don't know how long she'd been there,' he said. 'They said she'd been hiding in a closet and that creeps me out.'

Kunzler was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of two counts of rape of a child, three counts of sodomy of a child and three counts of sexual abuse of a child.

Police told the station the 27-year-old male who fired the gun was not arrested.

The shooting victim, a 28-year-old male, was in the bathroom when the bullet struck him in the chest. 

He was hospitalised in critical but stable condition.

Wyant said alcohol was involved in the shooting.

The girl was reported to be in protective custody.

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