US police arrest man for attacking homeless, disabled with water gun

A United States man, Christopher Cayce, has been arrested and charged after allegedly shooting disabled and homeless persons with a high-powered, motorised water gun.

He reportedly taunted his victims and shared videos of the attacks on social media.

The Houston Police Department disclosed this in a statement posted on its official Facebook page on Thursday and sighted by our correspondent on Saturday.

The department said its Major Offenders Division, working with the Westside Crime Suppression Team, “investigated multiple cases of disabled and homeless persons who had been shot with a high-powered, motorised water gun.”

According to the statement, Cayce “taunted the victims and placed videos of the incidents on social media.”

The police confirmed that the suspect “has been arrested and charged with assault bodily injury.”

The Houston Police Department did not disclose further details on the exact locations of the attacks, the number of victims involved, or when the alleged offences occurred.

According to local US media house, Audacy, Cayce, 34, was arrested by HPD’s Major Offenders Division and held at Harris County Jail, with the charges tied specifically to an attack on two men that occurred on June 4.

He posted bond at $100 per charge, bringing the total to $200, and is due back in court on July 9.

According to Audacy, investigators say the case is not an isolated incident. HPD investigators linked Cayce to a series of incidents dating back to last summer, in which homeless individuals near bus stops or sleeping outdoors were targeted and doused with enough force to cause bodily injury.

Some of the footage reportedly showed a man driving around town firing the motorised water gun in people’s faces, on the street or on the sidewalk.

Officers noted that the weapon’s design was central to the criminal case against him.

The water guns used were motorised rather than hand-pumped, discharging a sustained, forceful jet of water rather than a single burst, a factor that led authorities to treat the attacks as criminal assault rather than a prank.

Speaking to local broadcaster ABC13 after his release, Cayce defended his actions, saying he prayed before each outing and insisting the water guns were set to their lowest power.

He also referred to some of his targets in his videos as “zombies,” which he described to the station as commentary for content rather than a reflection of how he viewed them.

He told the outlet he does not intend to continue the attacks, adding that police had taken his water guns.