After being shot multiple times in a weekend shooting incident, USF defensive back Hassan Childs has been arrested and charged with three counts of aggravated assault and one count of misdemeanor marijuana possession. All of this is connected to a road rage incident that took place Saturday night.
According to a report from Jenna Laine of ESPN.com, Childs was taken into custody at the same Tampa hospital he received medical treatment. The man who shot Childs, Jovanni Jimenez, has claimed self-defense and alleges Childs pointed a gun and him and his family. As Jimenez explained his side of the story, he was driving home with his wife and son when he was being tailgated by another vehicle. Jimenez pulled over to allow the vehicle to pass, at which point Childs is accused of pointing a firearm at Jimenez’s car. Jimenez then continued to keep driving and once he came to a stop is when Childs pointed the gun at his car once again. At this point, Jimenez “feared for his life” and shot three times at Childs. Childs was hit in the upper right arm, torso and under his arm.
“We are deeply concerned that an incident occurred overnight in which one of our guys, Hassan Childs, was injured in a shooting,” a statement from USF head coach Charlie Strong said on Sunday. “Thankfully, Hassan is in stable condition and being well cared for, and no one else was injured. There is an ongoing investigation of the incident and we are in the process of gathering further information.”
Childs played in eight games for the Bulls last year. He recorded 16 tackles and returned two punts for three yards in a backup role.