LAKE CITY, Fla. – A man was arrested Thursday evening after deputies say he exchanged shots with his daughter, then lied to deputies about what happened, according to the Columbia County Sheriff's Office.
The resident, Edward Hardy, told deputies who responded to a report of a home invasion and shooting at a home off N.W. Falling Creek Road that an unknown man entered his home and shot him in the face.
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Deputies who examined the crime scene extensively became concerned that the evidence did not corroborate the resident's account. After interviewing witnesses, deputies at the scene and were able to piece together a timeline of events.
According to the Sheriff's Office, Hardy was allegedly arguing with his spouse inside the home and his daughter attempted to intervene. The complainant allegedly stood up, approached his daughter and struck her in the side of the head with a handgun that he was holding.
Deputies say that the daughter, feeling physically threatened, armed herself with a small handgun that was on a table in the home and fired one shot, striking him in the face. The Sheriff's Office says the daughter ran from the house as her father fired several rounds from his handgun at her.
Lifeguard Ambulance Services treated the suspect at the scene and he was later treated at a local medical facility for non-life-threatening injuries. A .45-caliber handgun and a .38-caliber handgun were recovered at the scene.
Following an interview at the Sheriff's Office, Hardy, 53, was arrested and booked into the Columbia County Detention Facility on charges of aggravated battery and aggravated assault.