(Daily360.com) – A wild incident took place on a Las Vegas bus and the aftermath saw one man and a toddler hospitalized with gunshot wounds. The fracas began as a teenager and a man began to argue on the bus, after which the teen shot the man. As he fled the scene on foot, the teen dropped the pistol while scaling a wall near a local playground.
The gun was discovered by a child around five years of age. While handling the gun it went off in the child’s hands and struck another toddler. Both the toddler and the man on the bus were rushed to a local hospital. The man is reported to be in stable condition whereas the toddler is described as being in stable but critical condition. The toddler, a two-year-old girl, has already had one surgery to stabilize her body from the bullet which missed her heart by only about inch.
Doctors are monitoring blood clots in her lungs, and depending on how they progress, surgeons may have to perform a second operation on the child. She’s currently in a medically induced coma.
The alleged shooter was found and arrested in northeastern Las Vegas in the vicinity of a local day care center. He has not yet been identified publicly because he is less than 18 years of age. Reggie Rader, the deputy police chief, said he does not know what charges the teenager will be facing. He said he has conferred with the local district attorney’s office and expects “all applicable charges” to be levied and it is possible he will be charged as an adult.
Local residents say although they know this was an abnormal occurrence it’s still been hard for them to return to the park. They say they think about what could happen at any moment and fear for their children. They describe the community as close-knit and say they’re praying for the injured toddler. The little girl’s family has set up a “gofundme” to help with what are sure to be hefty medical bills.
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