Girl in Bel Air Reportedly Shot in Leg After Teens Find Gun

A 13-year-old girl was hospitalized Friday after she was accidentally shot in the leg by another teen who discovered the gun in a Bel Air home, according to reports.

At 4:11 p.m., deputies from the Harford County Sheriff’s Office responded to a residence on Colonial Court where a 14-year-old boy had accidentally shot a 13-year-old girl in the leg, Fox 45 reported.

Relatives had been cleaning the house, which belonged to a family member who recently passed away, when the two youths found the gun among the possessions, according to WBAL.

The boy accidentally fired the weapon, hitting the girl in the leg, the sheriff’s office told The Aegis, which reported she was taken to Johns Hopkins Children’s Center for treatment of injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening.

The National Rifle Association encourages adults to pass on the following four tips for children who come across a gun:

• Stop.
• Don’t touch.
• Leave the area.
• Tell an adult.

The first two—stop and don’t touch—are the most vital, according to the association, which states: “ To counter that natural impulse to touch a gun, it is imperative that you impress these steps of the safety message upon your child.”