A New Zealand man shot by the mother of a teenage girl he had met online in the United States is refusing to talk to the police, local reports say.
Photo: Goochland County Sheriff's Office
Police said Troy Skinner, 25, was shot and wounded while breaking into a home in Goochland, Virginia.
They found duct tape, a knife and pepper spray in his backpack.
The police believe Mr Skinner had been having some sort of online relationship with the 14-year-old girl in the house but his arrival in the US was sudden and unwelcome.
The Goochland County Sheriff's Office said they responded on Friday to reports of a gunshot and a 911 call saying a man dressed in black was attempting to enter a house.
When they arrived they discovered the New Zealander with a gunshot wound to the neck, lying in the front yard.
Police said he had tried to break in to the house where a mother and her two teenage daughters lived by smashing a door with a brick.
According to the police statement, the mother shot at him after repeated warnings.
He will be charged with breaking and entering with a deadly weapon, with intent to commit a serious offence.
NBC reporter Alison Norlian said the FBI was now involved and he could face federal charges.
"Deputies did try to speak with him but he's refusing to talk to police and once he's healthy enough he'll be transferred to Henrico County Jail."
According to the Richmond Times Dispatch in Virginia, Mr Skinner and a 14-year-old girl had been in contact online for several months, but police said she had then attempted to end the communication.
The police said he flew from New Zealand to Los Angeles on Wednesday 20 June and then made his way across the country.
Troy Skinner, who remains in hospital in Richmond in a stable condition, is being offered consular assistance.
A Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson said it was in touch with the 25-year-old's family.
