GOOCHLAND COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — A New Zealand citizen who attempted to break into the home of a Goochland teen he was communicating with online, was shot by the girls’ mother and arrested on Friday.
On June 22, a mother was at home with her two teenage daughters when a 25-year-old man, identified as Troy George Skinner, a New Zealand citizen, attempted to break in.
Skinner flew from New Zealand to Los Angeles, arriving June 20, before traveling to Goochland County.
He decided to make the journey after having online communication through Discord, an online app intended to connect people to discuss gaming, with a 14-year-old girl at the Goochland home.
Skinner was shot by the girl’s mother after being repeatedly told that she had a gun and to leave the property. He was shot in the neck after declining to leave and breaking a window with a landscape stone.
In a press conference, Goochland County Sheriff James Agnew described Skinner’s arrival as not welcomed.
“He was not invited here. He was not expected here. He had been told in the past that this daughter no longer wished to communicate with him,” Sheriff Agnew explained. “So, his arrival here and his actions were totally unexpected by anyone.”
The F.B.I. will assist with Goochland County investigators in the case. Skinner, who used a stone to break a window, also had a knife and duct tape in his possession.
“The family is shaken, very shaken,” said Sheriff Agnew. “They had a violent man try and break into their home.”
The family involved have asked to remain anonymous as the news continues to stun those in the neighborhood.
“He is not the victim, that lady and her family members are the victims,” Sheriff Agnew said. “He proceeded to pound on their door and say he needed help and that he had just hitchhiked 30 miles to get there.”
Skinner’s journey goes beyond 30 miles.
“He had his plane tickets from Auckland, New Zealand to Sydney, Australia, from Sydney, Australia to LA,” Sheriff Agnew explained.
From California, Skinner took a flight to Washington D.C., caught a Greyhound Bus to Richmond and reportedly stayed at a hostel in town before purchasing the knife and duct tape at a local Wal-Mart.
“There’s a component of you that knows it could happen but it’s different when it actually does happen,” said neighbor Tom Blauvelt, “and the closer to home, particularly as a parent, the scarier it gets.”
Blauvelt and his wife have five children. Their kids were home with the babysitter when the incident happened.
“My wife got a text from a friend and said hey there’s a response going on in your neighborhood,” explained Blauvelt. “It turned a night, peaceful date night, into something that was heart-stopping.”
The Blauvelt family told 8News that information was hard to find at first as rumors of the incident swirled the area and that their thoughts are with their neighbors.
Investigators plan to take Skinner to Henrico jail once he’s released from the hospital.
Skinner will likely be charged with felony breaking and entering with intent to commit robbery.
