Girl Hit By Errant Bullet In Vernon Hills

Posted: Wednesday, 25 April 2007 6:46AM Girl Hit By Errant Bullet In Vernon Hills

VERNON HILLS, Ill. (STNG/CBS 2) - A 10-year-old girl crossing a Vernon Hills street Tuesday night was struck by a bullet from the gun of a security guard who was unloading the weapon in his bedroom in a nearby home. About 6:15 p.m., the girl was crossing the street at the 400 block of Tyler Court with her mother, according to a press release from Vernon Hills police. At the same time, a 34-year-old security guard who had come home from work "was in the course of unloading his weapon when the gun accidentally discharged a round," the release said. The bullet went through the security guard's bedroom window and struck the girl in the abdomen as she was crossing the street, the release said. The security guard called 911 and reported that he had accidentally shot the girl, the release said. CBS 2 reports the girl is recovering at Children’s Memorial Hospital; her injuries are not believed to be life-threatening. The security guard was taken into custody and questioned by Vernon Hills investigators, the release said. Criminal charges have not been filed, however, the release said, "the matter is pending additional review by the Lake County State's Attorney's Office." Neighbors tells CBS 2 News they know the shooter feels horrible about what happened. “The father of three boys, he’s a wonderful man, and I know he’s got to be absolutely distraught at this time,” said neighbor Eileen Murray. Questions remain about how a security professional discharged his weapon in such a seemingly careless manner. “He felt that he had unloaded the weapon, cycled the chamber and was decocking the weapon and at that point the gun still had a bullet in the chamber,” Officer Jim Levicki of the Vernon Hills Police Department told CBS 2.

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