INDIANAPOLIS — A child is recovering at an Indy hospital after being struck by a stray bullet while the city was celebrating July 4th festivities.
Officers with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department were called around 10:40 p.m. Thursday to Community East Hospital after a person suffering from a gunshot wound walked in for treatment.
IMPD said that the victim, later identified as an 11-year-old child, had been struck by a stray bullet around 10 p.m. Police later said they believe the shooting happened in the 1100 block of N. Tuxedo Street on the city's near east side.
"It is unacceptable," IMPD Chief Chris Bailey said. "It is not who we are as a city."
An IMPD police report from the incident stated that a handgun was the weapon involved. The offense is listed as aggravated assault/recklessness with a firearm. Suspect information is marked as unknown.
"Those bullets come down when they go into the air," Chief Bailey said. "I don't know how much more clear I can be to people with guns. You cannot shoot rounds in the air. Those rounds will come down."
The child was last reported to be in stable condition and awake and breathing. No other information has been provided by IMPD as of 2:30 p.m. Friday.