Bullet Hits Inches Above Sleeping Toddler In Watsonville Home

WATSONVILLE, CA – A 17-year-old faces multiple charges after being arrested in connection with a weekend shooting into a Watsonville house that nearly struck a sleeping 3-year-old girl, according to law enforcement.

The shooting was reported Sunday at about 2:30 a.m. on the 500 block of McKenzie Avenue, the Watsonville Police Department said.

"The bullet traveled through the house," the agency said, "and the path of the bullet was about a foot above from where the toddler was sleeping."

Officers obtained a description of the suspect, canvassed the neighborhood and spotted a male matching the suspect description, police said.

"As an officer approached him, the teen tossed a gun," the department said. "The officer arrested the suspect less than a block away from where the shooting happened and recovered the firearm."

The caliber of the handgun matched a casing located at the scene of the shooting, and the teen was booked into Santa Cruz County Juvenile Hall, police said.

Anyone with additional information on this case can call Detective Juan Sánchez at 831-768-3358.

ALSO SEE: Crushed Family: Funeral Instead Of Grad Party For Daughter. McKenzie Gilbert was struck and killed by SUV in Santa Cruz days prior to her 24th birthday and college-graduation celebration.

--Image via Watsonville PD