DeLAND, Fla. – An 8-year-old Central Florida boy is in critical condition after accidentally being shot in the head by a 9-year-old girl, police said.
Officers arrived around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at a home in DeLand, where five children were home alone, WKMG-TV reports.
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Police said the girl somehow obtained a handgun that belonged to a parent. The gun was discharged and a bullet struck the boy in the head, authorities said.
Two older children -- ages 15 and 19 years old -- who were watching the younger children had gone to a nearby store and on were on their way back when the shooting occurred, police said.
Originally thought to have been grazed by the bullet, the 8-year-old boy suffered an actual gunshot wound, according to police. He was airlifted to a hospital in Orlando, where his condition was upgraded to critical.
No other details were immediately available as the investigation continues.