Fountain child hurt in accidental shooting is in critical condition
The Fountain Police Department is investigating an accidental shooting that sent a young girl to the hospital.
Police responded to the 700 block of Progress Drive in Fountain after receiving a call around 5:00 p.m. Sunday.
“They’re stating their baby got shot,” was overheard on traffic scanners.
The victim is a 6-year-old girl, who suffered a wound to the head. She is being treated at Memorial Hospital. The child is out of surgery and is in critical but stable condition, according to the Fountain Police Department.
Scanner traffic reveals the parent’s frantic phone call to 911.
“We received a 911 hang-up. The party is not cooperative and all we can hear is yelling and screaming,” said a 911 dispatcher.
Fountain police flooded the home and blocked off the street with caution tape.
“My family saw police cars out front and we were, like, ‘What’s going on,?” said Cody Leigh, a neighbor.
Leigh said he was shocked to learn what had happened.
“We’ve seen that family out before and they seem like a nice normal family and something like that happens. It’s a tragedy, just horrible,” he said.
Right after the incident, the parents got into their car and called 911 while they started driving to a local hospital. They ended up stopping 2 miles down the road on Main Street because they saw an ambulance, which was responding to an unrelated incident.
Fountain police are still trying to determine who’s responsible for the shooting.
“Nobody is in custody at this point. The investigation is still ongoing,” said Sean Hartley, with the Fountain Police Department.
It is unknown at this time how the injury occurred and detectives are continuing their investigation.
“Obviously anytime it involves a juvenile it’s a little more difficult. It kind of hits home, especially for parents,” Hartley said.
Parents who live on Progress Drive are thinking twice about teaching their children about gun safety.
“As a mom it sucks and I feel for them, for sure. I think it comes down to parenting. We have a lot of gun safety laws in effect already and it comes down to who the owners are and what kind of safety regulations they’re going to have in their home,” said Rebecca Rose, a neighbor.
If you have any information, you’re asked to call the Fountain Police Department at 719-382-8555, or leave an anonymous tip with CrimeStoppers at 634-STOP (7867).
