Officials from the Petal Police Department are investigating an incident in which a 5-year-old child sustained a non-fatal gunshot wound following the accidental discharge of a firearm in a home in south Petal.
Police chief Matthew Hiatt said police responded to a call of a child suffering from the wound at approximately 8:30 p.m. on October 9.
“When we got there, we discovered the child had been left unattended within close proximity of a loaded rifle,” he said. “That case is still under investigation at this time.
“The child was initially transported to Forrest General Hospital and he was stabilized there, and later he was sent to Jackson for further treatment. He’s expected to make a full recovery.”
In accordance with police department protocols, officers immediately notified the Mississippi Department of Human Service about the incident.
“We don’t expect any charges; there’s just not anything to file right now,” Hiatt said. “We’ll just have to see how the investigation turns out in the next few days or so.”
Because of the age of the child, Hiatt declined to name the exact address at which the incident occurred.
“It was in the City of Petal, on the south end – we can say that much,” he said.
