10-year-old girl an "inch" away from being fatally shot in Ohio, officials say
A 10-year-old girl was an "inch" away from being fatally shot in Montgomery County, Ohio, authorities said.
The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office said in a post on Facebook that investigators were called to Dayton Children's Hospital after a report of a 10-year-old girl who arrived at the hospital with a gunshot graze wound to her head on Monday. She sustained "minor" injuries and was later released from the hospital, the sheriff's office said.
"An inch one other way and we might be talking about a homicide," Jeremy Roy, chief of staff with the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office, told CBS affiliate WHIO.
Law enforcement said the shooting happened around 6:30 p.m. on Monday near the intersection of North Dixie Drive and East Siebenthaler Avenue in Harrison Township. The victim's mother told police that they heard a "loud boom" while stopped in their vehicle at a red light, and then her daughter started bleeding, WHIO reported.
The investigation into the shooting continues. It was not immediately known if there were any suspects or arrests, or who the intended target was.
"This incident could have had a much more tragic outcome," Montgomery County Sheriff Rob Streck said in the Facebook post. "When a child is injured by gunfire, it impacts our entire community. We are committed to identifying those responsible, and we urge anyone with information to come forward and contact detectives."
Anyone with information on the incident can contact the dispatch center at 937-225-4357 or Miami Valley Crime Stoppers at 937-222-7867. Anonymous tips can also be submitted online.
