A 9-year-old boy accidentally shot a 14-year-old girl in the back with a .22 caliber rifle he retrieved from his parents’ Brooklyn apartment Friday, officials said.
Every mom and dad’s worst nightmare came true for a Dyker Heights family after the child fired off a round from a rifle he found inside a second-floor apartment at 71st St. near 12th Ave. around 6:15 p.m., officials said.
The girl, who the Daily News is not identifying, was rushed to Lutheran Medical Center with minor injuries, police officials said.
By Friday evening, she was walking around and was expected to be discharged, a source with knowledge of the incident said.
Cops were continuing to investigate the horrifying freak accident early Saturday morning and it remained unclear how the boy and his victim knew each other.
The rifle was recovered from the scene, but it was not immediately clear where the boy found it.
Bay Ridge City Councilman Vincent Gentile said the child was playing with the rifle when it went off. The girl was shot in the shoulder, he said. “Luckily it looks as if she will recover,” Gentile added via Facebook.
The girl’s family declined to comment on what happened, but a neighbor next door to the accidental shooting who could be seen running between the two homes said the injuries are minor.
“Everyone is OK,” said the neighbor, who declined to give a name.
With Chauncey Alcorn, Andy Mai
