A 9-year-old Amish girl is in critical condition at a Pittsburgh hospital after police say a younger child picked up an unattended 12-gauge shotgun and shot her in the abdomen.
The girl was airlifted to Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh after the shooting around 5 p.m. Saturday at a farm in Lackawannock Township, Mercer County.
Police say the girl's father had been using the gun to hunt small animals and left it loaded near a pond while he fished and two children under the age of 5 played nearby.
Police say one of the younger children picked up the gun and fired off a round, striking the girl in the torso.
They're calling the shooting a tragic accident. The investigation is continuing.
Lackawannock Township is about 60 miles north of Pittsburgh.