A young Delaware girl is in the hospital after she was struck by a stray bullet.
On Wednesday police were called to the 1100 block of Pleasant Street in Wilmington, Delaware for a report of a shooting. When they arrived they found a 5-year-old girl who had suffered a gunshot wound to the leg. Police say the girl was playing with a 9-year-old girl when she was struck by a stray bullet.
The girl was taken to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia where she remains hospitalized. Police have not yet revealed her condition.
Police launched an investigation and conducted several interviews which led them to 33-year-old Jermaine Laster of Penns Grove, New Jersey. Investigators say Laster and another person had engaged in a fight earlier that day. That night, Laster allegedly returned to the 1100 block of Pleasant Street armed with a gun and began to shoot at the other subject, accidentally shooting the 5-year-old girl in the process.
Police located Laster in Penns Grove and arrested him. He is charged with assault, reckless endangerment and other related offenses. He is currently being held in Salem County Jail pending extradition.
“This is an example of what can happen when the community and police department work together,” said Wilmington Police Chief Christine Dunning. “It sends a message to criminals that violence will not be tolerated in our community.”
