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Police: Clayton boy shot 2-year-old sister in head

A 2-year-old girl was shot in the head in Clayton on Friday morning by her brother, police said.

Posted Updated

By
Joe Fisher
, WRAL multimedia journalist
CLAYTON, N.C. — A 2-year-old girl was shot in the head in Clayton on Friday morning by her brother, police said.

The shooting occurred at about 11 a.m. in the 100 block of Smart Court, in the Georgetowne neighborhood.

The girl was taken to WakeMed in Raleigh, where she was in serious condition Friday afternoon.

Clayton Police Chief Blair Myhand said a mother was home with three children when the shooting occurred, and investigators believe the girl's older brother shot her accidentally. They spent much of the afternoon trying to determine how he got hold of the semiautomatic handgun.

"Any shooting, anyone of this age, it really hits home for a lot of officers," Myhand said. "One second, everyone is having a good time, and the next second, it’s tragedy."

The boy, who Myhand said was 9 years old, was with neighbors, as his parents went to WakeMed to be with the girl. The father was at work at the time of the shooting, the chief said.

"It’s tragic for any parent to go through anything like that," neighbor Phillip Reece said.

Reece, who lives a few houses down the street, said he didn't hear any gunshot, but he saw police and paramedics racing down the street in response.

"I was inside the house when the kids started to see the cops, and they were jumping up and down," he said.

Myhand said the girl's parents could face charges if investigators determine the gun wasn't properly secured in the home.

"North Carolina law requires that adults secure their firearms from children for these exact reasons," he said, adding that he wants all gun owners to lock up their guns to keep them out of children's hands.

"That’s what responsible people should do, and had that been done in this case, we probably wouldn’t have the situation we are dealing with," he said.

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