photo Brian CorleyLyon County Sheriff Sid Smith, in jacket at left, talks with deputies at the scene of a Dayton shooting that left a 3-year-old girl hospitalized after she was struck in the head. The shooting is being called an accident, according to Mary Ellen Holly, incident information officer for Central Lyon County Fire. She said charges are unlikely.
DAYTON - A 3-year-old girl was shot in the head Tuesday night, allegedly by her 14-year-old brother, as she played in the front yard of their home in Dayton.
The unidentified toddler was transported to Washoe Medical center by Care Flight helicopter conscious and responsive. Lyon County Sheriff Sid Smith said the girl was in the front yard of the home at 128 Fortune Drive near Sutro Elementary School when she was shot with a gun belonging to her father.
The shooting is being called accidental said Mary Ellen Holly, incident information officer for Central Lyon County Fire. She said charges are unlikely.
"After the shooting, he carried the little girl in the house and called 911," said Smith
Initially the boy reported the girl was shot in a drive by, but later recanted his story after officers found physical evidence pointing to another scenario, Holly said.
Laurie and John George who live a street over from Fortune in this quiet desert community said they didn't hear anything and were shocked to hear about the girl.
"I can't believe this. This stuff never happens out here. This scares me," Laurie George said.
The child was listed in critical condition at Washoe Medical Center.