An Arizona teenager has been charged with assault following an incident in December 2025 where he and two friends allegedly targeted his ex-girlfriend with dodgeballs during a gym class at Mayer High School. The girl reportedly sustained bruises on her upper right rib cage and lower right abdomen.
Abel Schipper, 13, told AZ Family that he did not intend to harm the classmate. The incident occurred during warm-ups for a gym class at the school, located about an hour outside of Phoenix. A social worker contacted the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office days after the alleged attack. According to a police report, the social worker claimed the boys “relentlessly assaulted her with dodgeballs when she came out of the bathroom.”
Schipper and the other boys involved stated that the dodgeball warm-up was already in progress when they targeted the girl, and they maintained it was not malicious. Schipper admitted to throwing a dodgeball that hit the girl, while one friend missed and another also made contact.
"Obviously I’m going to have to target somebody for dodgeball. It’s dodgeball," the teen explained. "You have to choose somebody, throw the ball, then try to get them out."
Schipper’s mother, Cecily Schipper, stated she was unaware police had interviewed her son at school. She learned of the charges months later via a letter from the Yavapai County Juvenile Justice Center, informing her that Abel had been charged with misdemeanor assault. She expressed disbelief, calling the situation “ridiculous” and arguing that dodgeball is a game commonly played by children. "They’re considering the dodgeball a weapon and that he knowingly or willingly, recklessly harmed this girl just playing dodgeball in PE,” she said.
Cecily Schipper suggested that while her son might deserve some form of punishment, she believes the situation has escalated excessively. She also mentioned that the ex-girlfriend had allegedly texted her for rides home after the incident in December.
The case is scheduled to be heard by a judge on August 17.
This incident echoes a 2019 case in Michigan where a 10-year-old boy faced assault charges for allegedly throwing a dodgeball at another student's head, resulting in an injury. The boy's mother stated that the thrown ball caused a concussion. His charges were eventually dropped after the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office reviewed the case. The Michigan boy had been suspended from school at the time.