On Monday, a two-year-old boy was tragically struck by a stray bullet while playing outside at his daycare in Utah.
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Initial Reports
The Spanish Fork Police released a statement regarding the incident. The young boy was “bleeding from the face” after falling to the ground while he played with the other children at Leap Ahead Daycare’s “vinyl-fenced area.”
“Initially, we thought he just had tripped and hit his head,” daycare owner Lane Mugleston stated.
The parents of the child took him to the hospital after they were informed of what had happened.
Before investigations concluded, Spanish Fork authorities released a statement. “Detectives are continuing to investigate where the bullet may have been shot from and why. It appears this was a tragic accident. Open fields are directly west of the daycare and it is believed the round may have come from that area.”
Additional Statements
Authorities stated that, “It was not until at the hospital that doctors discovered through scans that the child had a small caliber bullet lodged in its head.”
The child was still hospitalized as of Tuesday. Mugleston told local news outlet that, “The doctors are monitoring him, and they said that his vitals are good and expect a full recovery. So they think that that’s a blessing.”
The authorities released a statement regarding the incident. The officers noticed a man using a .22 caliber air rifle to shoot birds close to the daycare.
“We do not believe that this was a targeted incident,” Lt. Cory Slaymaker shared with local outlets. “We feel like this was more of an accident, and the person that probably did it doesn’t even know that they did it.”
The man identified is cooperating with the police. His name will not be made public until the investigation is finished and prosecutors decide if they will file formal charges after reviewing the case.