GREAT FALLS — A six-year old child was shot on Sunday, March 14th, in Cascade County.
Cascade County Sheriff Jesse Slaughter said in a news release that at about 2:50 p.m., Deputies were dispatched to a residence on Hevron Road north of Great Falls in response to the incident. While they were heading there, Deputies met up with the child's mother at the intersection of Wilson Road and Bootlegger; she was taking the child to the hospital in her vehicle. The victim was then taken to the hospital via Mercy Flight helicopter due to sustaining injuries to his arm and rib cage area.
Detectives responded to the scene to investigate the shooting and interviewed the the parents and their children - the 6 year-old victim, and his 11-year-old brother.
According to Sheriff Slaughter, the victim’s 11 year-old brother was loading a bolt action .22 long rifle to sight it in. The 11-year-old retrieved the .22 long rifle from the residence and took it outside to the garage. While in the garage, the 11-year-old tripped and negligently pulled the trigger of the .22 long rifle. The bullet struck his younger brother, who was seated on a wood pallet in the middle of the garage. A family friend placed a tourniquet on the 6-year-old child.
The subsequent investigation found that the .22 caliber bullet had ricocheted off the floor before striking the 6 year-old male. Based on the scene and the investigation, detectives determined this likely a negligent shooting.
There is no word at this point on the current condition of the child.
At this point, there are no criminal charges, and the investigation continues. We will update you if more details are released.
