Palo Alto Man Arrested In Air Rifle Shooting That Injured A Child

PALO ALTO, CA — A Palo Alto man was arrested on suspicion of shooting a child with an air rifle at an elementary school, police said.

Bradford Minkoff, 62, was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and child abuse, both felonies. He was also charged with creating a disruption on campus, a misdemeanor, according to the Palo Alto Police Department.

The man reportedly lives next door to Stratford School and was accused of firing a BB from an air rifle over the fence of his back yard and onto the campus, striking a child in the back. The child sustained minor injuries but their clothing was not penetrated, police said. The child's gender and identity will be released, officials said.

Police believe that Minkoff fired just one shot. He was arrested at his residence by the school at 1:56 p.m. on Friday, where they recovered his air rifle. Police said there is no reason to believe that Minkoff targeted that particular student.

Minkoff was booked into the Santa Clara County Main Jail and his motive was still under investigation.

The incident prompted school staff to usher the children indoors and keep them inside until Minkoff was arrested. Police also notified staff at the Palo Alto Unified School District and the nearby Greene Middle School out of an abundance of caution.

Anyone with information about this incident was asked to call the Palo Police Department's 24-hour dispatch center at 650-329-2413. Anonymous tips can be emailed to paloalto@tipnow.org or sent via text message to 650-383-8984.