COOPER CITY, Fla. – A 74-year-old man shot his teenage granddaughter as she spoke on the phone with a boyfriend he disliked, then barricaded himself in the house and was found dead hours later, sheriff's deputies said.
Nicole Riley (search), 14, was flown to a hospital and was expected to survive, Broward County Sheriff's Office spokesman Hugh Graf said. Her grandfather, Hans Bechold (search), apparently killed himself, Graf said.
The two were alone at the house Wednesday night when Bechold opened fire because he disapproved of the teen's relationship, Graf said. The girl ran outside, but Bechold shot her again at close range as a neighbor tried to help her.
Bechold continued firing as the teen and the neighbor fled.
Authorities rushed the girl to the hospital. Bechold, meanwhile, barricaded himself in the house. After he did not respond for several hours, deputies searched the house early Thursday with a robot. Using its camera, they spotted Bechold's body, Graf said.
Crystal Soto, a friend of the wounded girl, said Bechold had recently moved into the family's home.
"He always seemed like a nice guy," she said. "He's not the type to shoot anybody."
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