Two teenage boys were wounded and a 12-year-old girl was taken into custody following what is believed to be an accidental shooting at an east Birmingham apartment complex.
The shooting happened about 3:30 p.m. Tuesday at Harris Homes off of Georgia Road. Birmingham police East Precinct officers and Birmingham firefighters responded to the community on a report of a person shot.
When police arrived, they found two boys – ages 13 and 14 – suffering from gunshot wounds. They were taken to Children’s of Alabama. Birmingham police spokesman Sgt. Johnny Williams said the injuries to one of the boys are serious. The other is not believed to have suffered life-threatening injuries.
"This was a very unfortunate incident that involves children,'' said Birmingham Police Chief Patrick Smith. “The most important thing is to be a responsible gun owner to ensure everyone is safe. Use your gun lock and or age to ensure your family is safe and out of harms way. Guns are not a toy and should never be used as a substitute.”
The shooting happened behind an apartment building near the playground. There is a summer camp held at the Harris Homes Community Center, but Williams said camp had ended for the day and the shooting was not connected to that program.
A 12-year-old girl was detained two streets away after tips from residents.
Information from residents led police to the 12-year-old girl, who was taken into custody about two blocks away. She will be questioned by Birmingham detectives.
Williams said the preliminary information indicates the girl was playing with the gun when it discharged.
“We need to find out where this weapon came from, who should have been in charge of this weapon and we’ll move forward with that,’’ Williams said.
Several frantic parents ran toward the summer camp to see if their children were wounded, only to learn they were not. Neighborhood president Barbara Merchant also went to the scene.
"This is a good neighborhood, clean and everybody is concerned about each other,'' she said. “I just hate this happened.”
Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin and Police Chief Patrick Smith showed up at the shooting scene.
“It’s very unfortunate, especially when you have kids and handguns and sometimes truly not understanding the danger that is facing them and things that can occur,’’ the police chief said. “Today was a very hard lesson for a bunch of young people”
“I hope they, and not just them but a number of other young kids who may be thinking of grabbing a handgun for any reason, will think of the consequences of what might happen.”
“If you have kids around, take every precaution that you can,’’ Smith said. “Make sure your weapons are secure. Use the locks, use your safe, use every precaution you can to make sure they are safe.”
As of about 5:45 p.m., police remain on the scene at Harris Homes. They are waiting for several search warrants in connection with the shooting, and the gun that was involved.ry
It’s too soon, he said, whether any adults will be charged as a result of the incident.
“This investigation is very new, it’s in the infancy stages and so at this point it’s too soon to tell,’’ he said. “We’re going to make sure we follow up on every lead. If it is a situation where someone can be held liable, yes we’re going to push it all the way through.”
"We will vigorously investigate this case to ensure that any lessons learned will be shared,'' the chief said, "and where there’s a need to hold people accountable, we will. "