Child Critically Injured After Struck by Stray Bullet During 4th of July Celebration

HISTORIC SOUTH CENTRAL LOS ANGELES, July 4 (KNN) — A child was struck by a falling bullet Tuesday night during a Fourth of July celebration.

Officers were flagged down shortly after 9 p.m. for reports of a child who was struck by a falling stray bullet in the neighborhood of Historic South Central Los Angeles, where Los Angeles Police Department’s Newton Division officers established a crime scene in the 700 block of East 40th Place.

Officers reported the child was found unconscious and not breathing.

The Los Angeles Fire Department was requested and the 6-year-old male child was transported by LAFD paramedics to a local area hospital in critical condition, according to LAPD Officer Cervantes.

Key News Network interviewed Bruce, a resident on the street where the incident occurred. Bruce said neighbors were saying the child was struck by a bullet, possibly on the side or on the head. The message every Fourth of July is to not shoot into the sky, but Bruce says it happens every year anyway.

“People with guns, it’s what they want to do,” Bruce said.

There is currently no information regarding the suspect at this time, according to LAPD.

Zak Holman, Video Journalist / KNN