SALISBURY — A 15-year-old boy said he was robbed and shot in the leg by several men as he was taking a walk to cool off from an argument with his father, according to the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office.

Investigators spoke with the teen at Carolinas Healthcare System Kannapolis, where he was treated for a gunshot wound to the thigh.

On Friday afternoon, the boy’s mother said her son argued with his father. She took him to Food Lion in China Grove, where he met a girlfriend. The teenager called his mother later to say he had taken a walk to cool off, and the mother told him she would pick him up.

She drove to China Grove but did not find him and decided to drive toward Salisbury. She later spotted him walking on U.S. 29 near Webb and Roseman roads. He was limping and had a piece of cloth on his leg.

The teen told his mother that a car pulled up with several men inside. They took his Gucci bag and tried to take his necklace, he said. He said they assaulted him and shot him in the leg. Doctors said the bullet did not cause significant injury.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office at 704-216-8700 or Salisbury-Rowan CrimeStoppers at 866-639-5245.