Arizona teen charged for using dodgeball as weapon against ex-girlfriend in PE class

An Arizona teenager has been charged with assault after school officials say he and two friends singled out his ex-girlfriend "relentlessly" with dodgeballs in gym class, bruising the girl.

Abel Schipper insists he had no intention of injuring his classmate when he and his friends threw balls at her during warm-up drills for PE at Mayer High School, located roughly an hour from Phoenix, back in December 2025.

"I didn't think a dodgeball would hurt. And these are small ones too. So you can squeeze them and like they compress and stuff," Schipper told AZ Family on Wednesday. Within days of the incident, a social worker reported to the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office that the boys had "relentlessly assaulted her with dodgeballs when she came out of the bathroom."

Police documents reviewed by the outlet indicate the girl ended up in the hospital with significant bruising along her upper right rib area and lower right abdomen. According to statements the boys gave investigators, the warm-up game was already in progress before they threw at the girl, and they maintained there was no ill intent behind it.

Speaking with the outlet, Schipper acknowledged throwing a ball that struck his ex-girlfriend, saying he "hit her." One friend's throw missed, while a third boy's throw "also hit" her.

"Obviously I'm going to have to target somebody for dodgeball. It's dodgeball," the 13-year-old said. "You have to choose somebody, throw the ball, then try to get them out."

Abel's mother, Cecily Schipper, said she was completely unaware that police had questioned her son at school regarding the incident. She only learned of it months afterward, when a notice from the Yavapai County Juvenile Justice Center arrived stating Abel faced a misdemeanor assault charge.

"It is absolutely ridiculous. This is a game that every kid in the nation plays at some point in their life," she said. "They're considering the dodgeball a weapon and that he knowingly or willingly, recklessly harmed this girl just playing dodgeball in PE."

Cecily Schipper added that she'd accept her son facing "punishment" if this were simply a case of "boys will be boys," but she believes the response has been excessive.

She also claimed that, after the December incident, her son's ex-girlfriend had texted her "for rides home."

"It's just strange. And I was friends with her mom as well," she said. A judge is set to hear the case on August 17.