LAKELAND, Fla. — A 13-year-old is accused of shooting an 11-year-old girl after a gun in his waistband accidentally fired in a car Sunday evening in Lakeland.
At around 7:49 p.m., authorities arrived at a home on Emma Street after receiving a report about a shooting involving a child, the Lakeland Police Department said in a news release.
When they arrived, police discovered that the 11-year-old girl had been taken to a hospital by a personal car. Law enforcement says officers at the hospital saw the girl in the building with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound in her upper leg area.
After investigating, police say the shooting occurred inside a car at the Salvation Army building on Jim Galloway Road when the 13-year-old had placed a handgun in his waistband and accidentally fired it. A bullet then reportedly struck the girl in the leg who was seated next to him in the car.
Authorities say the teen was on probation and is charged with possession of a firearm by a delinquent, carrying a concealed firearm, unlawful possession of a firearm by a person under 17 and culpable negligence.
Police say the gun used by the teen was found and collected by detectives.
The investigation of the shooting remains ongoing.