LELAND, N.C. — A 6-year-old boy suffered a gunshot wound when a bullet struck his jaw while he was on the grounds of a North Carolina elementary school last week, authorities said.
According to WWAY-TV, Brunswick County sheriff’s deputies responded Friday to Lincoln Elementary School in Leland after receiving a report that a child had been shot.
“It was later determined that the juvenile sustained an injury from a bullet projectile, likely fired from a great distance, ultimately striking the child in the jaw,” the Sheriff’s Office wrote in a Facebook post.
The post, which did not provide information about the child’s condition, added that there was no evidence of “malicious intent” in the incident.
“All indications lead to it was an accidental incident, likely stemming from someone in the area shooting on private property,” the post read.
The investigation, which involves the Sheriff’s Office and the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, is ongoing, WWAY reported.