A juvenile was hospitalized following an accidental shooting incident in Butler County, as reported by the Butler County Sheriff's Office via a social media post released earlier today. The Sheriff's Office provided details that a sixteen-year-old male was injured after a firearm discharged accidentally late yesterday evening.
According to the statement, the victim was walking with friends behind Woodland Elementary School on their way to a nearby Kroger when the incident took place around 9:00 p.m., yesterday. Following the shooting, the victim was carried to the school parking lot and subsequently transported to UC West Chester Hospital, where the injury was said to be non-life-threatening. As part of the investigation, detectives located a stolen firearm, a black and purple 9mm handgun, inside a dumpster southwest of the school. The victim's stepmother reported the gun stolen to the West Chester Police Department the day before the shooting.
Further information gathered from surveillance footage suggests that the shot was accidentally fired by one of the juveniles. The Butler County Sheriff's Office maintains that the investigation is still ongoing and refrained from offering further speculation at this point in time. For information regarding the firearm's registered owner, the Sheriff's Office directed inquiries to the West Chester Police Department.
