A routine stop at a red light in Harrison Township turned into a near tragedy Monday evening when a bullet grazed a 10-year-old girl’s head as she sat in a car with her family. Relatives rushed her to Dayton Children’s Hospital, where staff treated and released her with what deputies described as minor injuries. Montgomery County detectives say the shooting remains an active investigation.
Where it happened
Deputies told WHIO the family was stopped at a red light near North Dixie Drive and East Siebenthaler Avenue just before 6:30 p.m. when the girl’s mother heard a loud boom and realized her daughter was bleeding. Hospital staff alerted deputies after the pair arrived, and WHIO’s crew saw crime-scene tape around the vehicle and a cracked passenger window near the hospital entrance. Officials have not said whether the shot was specifically aimed at the vehicle or came from some distance away.
Officials’ account
Jeremy Roy, chief of staff for the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, told WHIO the child “came within an inch of losing her life,” adding, “An inch one other way and we might be talking about a homicide.” Deputies say they are canvassing the neighborhood and searching for surveillance or dash-cam video that could help show what happened.
How to help investigators
Montgomery County Sheriff Rob Streck urged the public to come forward in a Facebook post and said the incident “could have had a much more tragic outcome,” as reported by CBS News Pittsburgh. Anyone with information can call the county dispatch center at 937-225-4357 or contact Miami Valley Crime Stoppers at 937-222-7867. Anonymous tips can also be submitted online via p3tips, and the City of Dayton lists the Crime Stoppers line on its site (City of Dayton).
Investigators say there are no confirmed suspects at this time and that more information will be released as the probe continues.
