Two other victims, a woman and a man, were also injured. Police said the suspect, 24-year-old Robert Louis Singletary, remains at large Mr Singletary faces four counts of first-degree attempted murder.

Police have also charged the suspect with two counts of assault with a deadly spear with intent to kill and one count of possessing a firearm by a lawbreaker.

The suspect was previously known to police for allegedly attacking his girlfriend with a sledgehammer in December. Police in Gaston County first received a 911 call at 19:44 local time on Tuesday (00:44 BST on Wednesday) about the shooting.

Investigators later reported that a six-year-old child and her father were seriously injured. In addition, they said an adult female was grazed by a bullet, and a second adult male was shot. A neighbour told reporters the shooting unfolded after a basketball rolled into the suspect’s yard.

Child shot after basketball rolls into man’s yard.

“They were playing basketball, and a ball rolled into his yard. So they went to go and get it. It was just absurd,” said Jonathan Robertson, who lives in the Gaston County neighbourhood. “We just never expected it in a million years. We never expected anybody would break a gun out amongst all those kids.”

Police said the suspect went inside his home and came out with a gun before he fired indiscriminately at neighbours. Mr William and his daughter were struck as parents rushed to gather their children.

The child has since spoken out about the shooting in an interview with a local ABC news channel.

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“The bullet came back, and the bullet went in my cheek,” said the young girl, whose identity has not been made public. She added that her father remains in a hospital in Charlotte. He is being treated for punctured lung and liver problems after he was shot in the back.

Police have issued warrants for Mr Singletary’s arrest, said Gaston County Police Chief Stephen Zill in a statement on Wednesday. Chief Zill added that “this sort of violence will not stand”.

Child shot after basketball rolls into man’s yard.

“We conducted a large-scale search overnight for Mr Singletary, and we have partnered with the United States Marshals Regional Fugitive Task Force to aid us as we continue to search,” he said.

The shooting is the latest in a string of gun violence incidents across the US involving young Americans who are reported to have mistakenly approached the wrong person or home.

In New York, 20-year-old Kaylin Gillis was shot and killed on Saturday after a friend drove their car down the wrong driveway.

And last Thursday in Missouri, 16-year-old Ralph Yarl was shot in the head and arm when he rang the doorbell at the wrong address.