By pretending to be his 11-year-old daughter on TikTok, Chandler was able to establish communication with Gonzalez and persuade him to come to the residence.
The circumstances are particularly disturbing because the entire interaction allegedly occurred shortly after the girl's mother discovered the video that triggered the investigation.
Court records cited by local news outlets indicate that Chandler told detectives he initially intended to confront Gonzalez without shooting him.
His reported plan, according to investigators, was to beat Gonzalez, restrain him and then call police.
But once Gonzalez arrived, Chandler said he believed the man was reaching for a gun.
That was when the situation turned violent.
Chandler reportedly told investigators that he saw Gonzalez reach toward his pocket and believed he might be armed. Chandler then retrieved his own firearm and fired.
WHIO reported that Chandler fired three shots, while other reports described Gonzalez as suffering two gunshot wounds. Police found Gonzalez sitting in a chair after the shooting. (WHIO TV 7 and WHIO Radio)
The distinction between the number of shots fired and the number of wounds is important because viral social-media posts often reduce complicated events to a single dramatic sentence.
The man survived.
He was transported to a Columbus hospital for treatment, while Chandler remained at the scene and eventually surrendered to police.
According to the account reported by local media, Chandler did not chase Gonzalez after the shooting. He reportedly put the gun down and waited for police to arrive. (WHIO TV 7 and WHIO Radio)
Chandler was subsequently arrested and charged with felonious assault.
His bond was initially set at $100,000. (WKRC)
The case therefore became a complicated confrontation between two separate criminal investigations: one involving allegations of sexual abuse of a child, and another involving the father's decision to use a firearm against the man he believed was responsible.
For Chandler, the discovery involving his daughter appears to have been the catalyst.
For investigators, however, the shooting was only one part of a much larger investigation.
Part 3: The Investigation Into Gonzalez
As authorities investigated the allegations involving the 11-year-old girl, prosecutors brought a series of serious charges against Gonzalez.
According to reports, a Franklin County grand jury indicted the 20-year-old on two counts of rape, five counts of pandering sexually oriented material involving a minor, and one count of obstructing official business. (Us)