Authorities in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, say a family confrontation spiraled into violence on Friday morning after 65-year-old Pao Lee allegedly brought a gun to confront a relative he believed was having an affair with his wife.
Police responded to reports of gunfire around 10:00 a.m., where they discovered Lee being restrained by bystanders. According to a criminal complaint obtained by WITI, a witness pointed officers to a 9mm handgun discarded near a tree.
When officers spoke to the alleged victim, he recounted how Lee had entered his workplace, pointed a gun at his face, and chillingly asked: “[Y]ou want to die today?”
The confrontation quickly turned physical. The victim told police he was in the kitchen area pouring milk for his granddaughter’s cereal when Lee pulled the gun.
The man said he instinctively tried to push the firearm upward, recalling: “he immediately went to grab the gun to push it up in the air and just remembered several shots going off.”
During the struggle, both the victim and his 2-year-old granddaughter were struck by bullets. The child was shot in the chest but is expected to survive, according to WITI.
Police say another individual stepped in, helping the victim wrestle the weapon away from Lee before tossing it aside and calling 911.
In an interview with investigators, Lee claimed he confronted the man because he believed he had been exchanging sexual text messages with his wife. He told police: “Lee said he decided he wanted to kill [the victim] and then kill himself.”
Lee admitted he never intended to harm the child and said he “did not know” he had shot her during the altercation.
Lee’s wife, however, denied having any affair. She told police that while she and her husband had argued the week before over suspicions of infidelity, she was not involved with the alleged victim or anyone else.
Lee was taken into custody and charged with attempted first-degree intentional homicide and first-degree reckless injury. He is currently being held at Sheboygan County Jail on a $2 million cash bond.
His next court appearance is scheduled for September 15, followed by a preliminary hearing on September 17.
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