Kids kept playing on 71-year-old’s lawn, so he opened fire, Memphis cops say

It’s almost a universal law: Wherever kids dare to trespass on neighbors’ lawns, there will be grumpy men to yell at them.

But authorities in Memphis, Tennessee, say a man went a whole lot further on Sunday — and it landed him with criminal charges, FOX 13 reports.

Police said that four children ranging in age from 7 to 11 were playing in their neighborhood on Sunday night when 71-year-old Tommy Smith told them to stay off his lawn, according to WREG.

At that point, police said that a 7-year-old began to bicker with Smith, WMC reports. Smith then whipped out his Taurus .44 magnum and fired once, police said.

According to police, Smith said the shot was fired into the ground, WMC reports. No one was hurt in the incident.

The neighbor who reported the shot to authorities said Smith had fired at her granddaughter, who is 11, FOX reports.

Police arrested Smith, FOX reports. Authorities said he has a permit for the weapon. Still, he surrendered the gun to police..

He faces four reckless endangerment charges, WREG reports.

This story was originally published August 27, 2018 at 4:57 PM with the headline "Kids kept playing on 71-year-old’s lawn, so he opened fire, Memphis cops say."