A 3-year-old girl was struck by a bullet inside her family's Riverside home on Saturday as her father was cleaning a handgun, according to authorities. The girl was rushed to the hospital, and her father was arrested on suspicion of an offense tied to the incident.
The shooting happened in the 3300 block of Panorama Road in Riverside's Historic Wood Streets neighborhood, according to The Press-Enterprise. Authorities said one bullet was apparently fired accidentally from a pistol and struck the child while her father was cleaning the weapon inside the home.
The girl was hospitalized at Loma Linda University Medical Center following the shooting, according to Detective Steven Espinosa. Investigators have not specified whether the bullet struck the girl's arm or leg, and no further details about her condition have been released.
Father Arrested on Suspicion of Negligent Discharge
Riverside police arrested the girl's father on suspicion of negligently discharging a firearm in the presence of a child, Espinosa said. The detective said the shooting appeared to involve no malicious intent, describing it as an accident that occurred while the weapon was being cleaned.
California law includes provisions addressing situations where a parent or guardian is involved in an accidental shooting that injures or kills a child. Per California Legislative Information, the criminal storage statute under Penal Code Section 25100 does not apply in that specific circumstance, and prosecutors are directed to weigh the impact of the incident among other factors when deciding how to proceed.
Part of a Broader Pattern of Accidental Shootings
The Riverside case echoes a similar accident last month in Pixley, a small Tulare County town between Tulare and Delano, where a 2-year-old boy was accidentally shot while an adult was cleaning a gun inside a home, according to the Los Angeles Times. That boy's condition was described as unclear after deputies provided emergency aid while awaiting a medical team.
The Times report also points to federal data underscoring how often young children are caught in these kinds of accidents. Between 2003 and 2021, the CDC counted 1,262 unintentional firearm deaths of children nationwide, the paper reported, with 28% of victims under age 5 and 7% killed while a firearm was being loaded, unloaded or cleaned. The CDC's own National Violent Death Reporting System has also tracked unintentional firearm injury deaths among children ages 0 to 17 over that same span.
No additional information about the Riverside father's identity, the specific nature of the girl's injury, or any potential charges stemming from the district attorney's review has been made public. The investigation into the Panorama Road shooting remains active.
