PALM COAST, Fla. (WFLA) — An 18-month-old girl died in a shooting in Palm Coast on Sunday.
According to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, dispatchers “received a frantic 911 call reporting a baby had been shot” in a home on Ranwood Lane at 11:45 p.m.
The toddler was rushed to the hospital with a gunshot wound to the head. She was pronounced dead upon arrival.
“This is a tragic situation, and we offer our condolences to the family and friends of this little girl. This was a young life cut way too short,” Sheriff Rick Staly said. “While God has a new little angel, we will investigate this incident along with the State Attorney’s Office Homicide Investigation Unit until all facts are known.”
The firearm involved in the shooting was identified an “American Tactical multi-caliber assault pistol” capable of firing multiple calibers of ammunition, Staly said in a news conference on Monday. Investigators are still working to determine what kind of ammunition was used in the shooting.
A person of interest was identified in the case, but no one has been charged with shooting the toddler. A man identified as C.J. Nelson, Jr., 21, was arrested for a parole violation after guns were found in the home.
Staly said a “fairly large amount” of marijuana and a “white powdery substance” was also found inside the home.
There were eight people present at the time of the shooting, including the child’s biological mother and Nelson, according to Staly. The group is allegedly not cooperating with the investigation, but Staly said he hopes they “will come around.”
The incident may have been an accident, the sheriff’s office wrote in a release.
“There is no threat to the community,” Staly said. “The incident was contained inside this residence and all persons present or involved have been identified.”
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement and State Attorney’s Office is assisting the sheriff’s office with their investigation.
