This is so scary. A two-year-old boy was hit in the head by a stray bullet while playing outside at daycare!
According to a statement from the Spanish Fork Police, several children were playing “in the vinyl fenced area” at the Leap Ahead Daycare in Spanish Fork, Utah, which was staffed with two adults when a child suddenly became injured. Authorities said the kid “appeared to stumble and was seen bleeding from the face.” The co-owner of the daycare, Lane Mugleston, told KSLTV:
“Initially, we thought he just had tripped and hit his head.”
But that didn’t turn out to be the case. The school quickly reached out to the child’s parents, who then rushed to take their son to the hospital for treatment. That’s when they made a grim discovery. Police said:
“It was not until at the hospital that doctors discovered through scans that the child had a small caliber bullet lodged in its head.”
Related: Teen Allegedly Killed His Family — Then Said He Did It Because They Were ‘Cannibals’
OMG!?! According to an update from police on Wednesday, he was transferred to Primary Children’s Hospital – where he’s currently “in stable condition and improving.” Thankfully, Mugleston shared with KSLTV that “the doctors are monitoring him, and they said that his vitals are good and expect a full recovery,” adding:
“So they think that that’s a blessing.”
While the young boy is recovering, law enforcement has since identified the person responsible for the stray bullet. Per the statement, officers said a man was shooting birds with a .22 caliber air rifle near the daycare. However, police ultimately believe this was nothing more than a “tragic accident.” Lt. Cory Slaymaker told KSLTV:
“We do not believe that this was a targeted incident. We feel like this was more of an accident, and the person that probably did it doesn’t even know that they did it.”
Law enforcement’s statement noted that the man involved in the incident is cooperating with them, and they will not release his name until the investigation is over. From there, the case will be handed over to prosecutors to decide whether to file any formal charges.
So, so awful what happened here. We’re just hoping the toddler has a speedy recovery, and keeping his parents in our thoughts. We cannot imagine how terrified they must have been.
To learn more about the impact of gun violence, visit https://www.apha.org/topics-and-issues/gun-violence
[Image via ABC4 Utah/YouTube]
