On Friday (April 24) around 2:30 PM, the Robertson family of Duck Dynasty fame was shocked to hear the sound of gunfire on their property. The property that was targeted belongs to Willie Robertson, the son of Duck Commander founder Phil Robertson. Willie serves as CEO of the company.
Willie’s estate is currently home to more people than just himself and his wife, Korie. The couple has three children who still live with them in their home (Little Will, Bella, and Rowdy).
Their eldest son, John Luke, and his wife, Mary Kate, live in a home on the property with their infant son, John Shepherd. Willie and Korie’s daughters, Sadie and Rebecca, are also residing on the property right now with their husbands, Christian and John Reed. Rebecca and John Reed have a one-year-old son, Zane.
The entire family has been quarantining together during the coronavirus pandemic, so they were all together just minutes before the shooting that occurred on Friday.
Willie spoke about the shooting with USA Today, saying the family was outside five minutes before gunfire rang out across their property. He had just left to go to the store, and everyone else was inside.
“We were pretty shook up,” Willie said. “It looks like they were just spraying bullets across my property.”
One of the stars of the reality show "Duck Dynasty," Willie Robertson, says his Louisiana estate was sprayed by bullets. A man is now charged in the drive-by shooting. https://t.co/9kyykVgwi3
— AP South U.S. Region (@APSouthRegion) April 27, 2020
Willie guessed that eight to ten shots were fired at his property. One of the bullets went through a bedroom window of the home where John Luke, Mary Kate, and baby John Shepherd live.
Thankfully, no one was injured in the shooting.
On Sunday, the Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Office announced on Facebook they had someone in custody who they believed to be responsible for the shooting. They identified a man named Daniel King Jr., and he was “charged with 1 count of Aggravated Assault by Drive By Shooting.”
UPDATE: The investigation has led to the arrest of Daniel King, Jr. King has been charged with 1 count of Aggravated…
Posted by Ouachita Parish Sheriff's Office on Saturday, April 25, 2020
Since Willie spoke out about the shooting, other Robertson family members have taken to social media to share their own experiences and feelings.
“The timing of where we were at the time was crazy protection because we had all just gone inside,” Sadie said in a post she made about the shooting. She also thanked everyone for praying for her family.
Korie shared how thankful she was that no one in her family was harmed, writing, “…it was scary and dangerously close, but thanks to God no one was hurt.”
As for Rebecca, she admitted everyone was “still a little shook up,” but said they are all doing “okay.”
You can read all of their posts about the shooting below.
We’re so happy to hear that no one in the Robertson family was harmed in the shooting. We pray they’ll be able to find some comfort moving forward after such a terrifying event.