In Washington, D.C., a 5-year-old girl is in critical condition at a local hospital after being shot by her younger sibling on Monday, as reported by the Metropolitan Police Department.
Chief Pamela Smith stated that officers were called to the scene of the shooting at approximately 6:30 p.m. in an apartment located in the Unit block of Galveston Street Southwest.
At the scene, a 5-year-old girl was found with a gunshot wound in her upper body. She was taken to an area hospital in serious condition.
“The child, currently right now, is in critical condition,” Smith said Monday night in a news conference. “It’s such an unfortunate incident.”
The police arrested a man inside the apartment, identified as a close family friend, and charged him with cruelty to children. The children were under his supervision while their mother was out running errands.
The children were inside their mother’s apartment in the Unit block of Galveston Street Southwest in Washington, D.C. (Google Earth)
Police did not know if the man is in a relationship with the mother, but said the apartment belonged to her.
A woman was also arrested at the scene for assaulting a special police officer who works at the apartment complex. Details surrounding that incident were not shared, but Smith said she is the sister of the girl who was shot.
When asked who owned the gun or if it was a ghost gun, Smith said officers do not know yet, adding that the investigation is in its preliminary stages.
The Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C., (Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images)
During the short news conference, Smith emphasized the importance of gun safety and said it cannot be talked about enough.
“When we have firearms in our homes, there is an expectation that we are to keep our firearms locked up, and especially away from our young children,” Smith said.
