Child ‘fighting for her life’ after shooting in Smithfield community

BREAKING NEWS NOW. BREAKING NEWS. A CHILD IN THE HOSPITAL IN SERIOUS CONDITION AFTER GETTING SHOT IN BIRMINGHAM. WANT TO GET RIGHT OUT TO WVTM THIRTEEN’S JARVIS ROBERTSON. HE JOINS US LIVE HERE IN BIRMINGHAM. JARVIS, WALK US THROUGH WHAT WE KNOW THIS AFTERNOON. WELL, IAN AND BRITTANY, WE’RE TOLD THAT THIS ALL HAPPENED SOMETIME JUST BEFORE 2:00 THIS AFTERNOON. POLICE SAY THE GIRL THAT WAS SHOT APPEARS TO BE AROUND FOUR YEARS OLD. SHE HAS BEEN TAKEN TO CHILDREN’S OF ALABAMA, WHERE SHE IS SAID TO BE FIGHTING FOR HER LIFE. THIS IS VERY MUCH AN ACTIVE SCENE. YOU CAN SEE RIGHT HERE BEHIND ME, POLICE, THEY DO HAVE THIS AREA TAPED OFF. AGAIN, THEY ARE FOCUSING THEIR INVESTIGATION DOWN TO THE 800 BLOCK OF FIRST STREET NORTH. NOW, WHAT IS VERY INTERESTING ABOUT THIS CASE, POLICE, THEY DID TELL US THAT OFFICERS THEY WERE ACTUALLY OUT HERE IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD WALKING AND TALKING TO PEOPLE WHEN THEY FOUND OUT ABOUT A SHOOTING. THEY SAY THAT SOME PEOPLE WALKED UP TO THEM LETTING THEM KNOW THAT AN INFANT HAD BEEN SHOT. NOW, WHEN OFFICERS MADE IT INTO THE APARTMENT, THAT’S WHEN THEY NOTICED WHAT APPEARS TO BE A FOUR YEAR OLD LITTLE GIRL SUFFERING FROM A GUNSHOT WOUND. NOW, THEY DID TELL ME THAT BIRMINGHAM FIRE AND RESCUE RESPONDED TO THE SCENE, TAKING THAT LITTLE GIRL TO THE HOSPITAL AGAIN, WHERE SHE IS FIGHTING FOR HER LIFE NOW. WE HAD A CHANCE TO SPEAK WITH POLICE, AS I JUST MENTIONED, WE FOUND OUT THAT THEY ARE STILL IN THE BEGINNING STAGES OF THEIR INVESTIGATION AS OF RIGHT NOW, THIS IS POSSIBLY AN ACCIDENTAL SHOOTING, BUT THAT CANNOT BE RULED THE CASE. TAKE A LISTEN TO WHAT ELSE HE HAD TO SAY. THE PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION HAS REVEALED THAT WE BELIEVE THAT THE UNIT WAS OCCUPIED AND SOMEHOW NOW A SHOT OR SHOTS WERE FIRED AND THE VICTIM WAS STRUCK RIGHT NOW, WE ARE INVESTIGATING THIS POSSIBLY AS AN ACCIDENTAL SHOOTING, AND WE HAVE NOT RULED OUT THAT. HOWEVER, WE DO NOT HAVE ANY REPORTS THAT THE APARTMENT UNIT WAS ACTUALLY SHOT INTO. NOW, WITHIN TWO WEEKS, THE BIRMINGHAM POLICE DEPARTMENT, THEY ARE RESPONDING TO A CHILD SHOT HERE IN THE AREA. IF THIS IS AN ACCIDENTAL SHOOTING, WE WILL FIND OUT A LITTLE BIT LATER. BUT OFFICER TRUMAN FITZGERALD, HE DID SAY THAT IF YOU DO HAVE GUNS AND YOU HAVE SMALL KIDS IN THE HOUSE, YOU NEED TO BE MINDFUL ABOUT SAFETY AND SECURITY, BECAUSE A LOT OF TIMES KIDS, THEY CAN BE VERY UP OPTIMISTIC OR VERY, VERY INTRIGUED ABOUT WHAT THAT FIREARM IS. SO, AGAIN, IF YOU DO HAVE FIREARMS, MAKE SURE THEY ARE LOCKED UP SAFELY SO YOUR CHILD CANNOT GET TO IT. BUT WE’RE GOING TO BE HERE ON SCENE GATHERING MORE INFORMATION ONCE WE GET ANY NEW DETAILS, WE’LL BE SURE AND PASS IT ALONG TO YOU ALL. REPORTING LIVE FROM THE SMITHVILLE COMMUNITY IN BIRMINGHAM, I’M TRAVIS ROBERTSON WVTM 13. AL