Utah police identify person of interest after 2-year-old shot while playing outside at day care
Utah police have identified a person of interest after a toddler was wounded in the head with a stray air rifle bullet outside a day care this week, authorities said Wednesday.
The 2-year-old boy was playing outside with other children at Leap Ahead Daycare's Spanish Fork facility, about 52 miles south of Salt Lake City, when an employee near the child noticed him stumbling and bleeding from his head on Monday afternoon.
"The daycare notified the parents of the 2-year-old child who responded and took their child to the hospital for treatment. It was not until at the hospital that doctors discovered through scans that the child had a small caliber bullet lodged in its head," said Spanish Fork Police Department in a statement Tuesday.
In an update Wednesday, police said they identified a man who was shooting birds with a .22-caliber air rifle west of the day care. The man is cooperating with the investigators and will not be named unless formal charges are filed.
The child is recovering and is in stabile condition, the Spanish Fork Police Department said.
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Bullet went through day care fence
Lane Mugleston, the owner of Leap Ahead Daycare, confirmed Tuesday that the shooting happened at his facility in Spanish Fork, a suburb with a population of nearly 44,000.
Mugleston said two employees were with the children as they played in an outdoor fenced-in area of the day care on Monday afternoon. One employee near the toddler noticed him suddenly stumble, bleeding from his head.
After observing the toddler's injuries, employees contacted the toddler's parents who took him to a local hospital, according to Mugleston. When doctors saw a small-caliber bullet lodged in the child's head on brain scans later in the evening, they called authorities.
The young child was then transported to Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake City, police said. NBC News affiliate KSL reported doctors decided to leave the bullet in the toddler's head due to fears of causing further damage.
“I still feel like I’m in shock,” Mugleston, who owns Leap Ahead Daycare with his wife, told KSL. “We are absolutely surprised. We are dumbfounded that this would happen in Spanish Fork.”
Mugleston said no one at the facility heard the shots but a hole from the suspected air gun pellet could be seen through the vinyl fence that wraps around the outdoor play area. He noted that it's often hard to hear things at the day care due to its close proximity to an airport and location in a light industrial area.
"It appears this was a tragic accident. Open fields are directly west of the day care and it is believed the round may have come from that area," police said in a statement Tuesday.
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Contributing: The Associated Press
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Utah toddler shot by stray bullet: Police identify person of interest
