14 DAY TRIAL // A ten-year-old girl shot in her sleep in her family's Northern California home has been transported to a hospital late over an initial misdiagnosis.
The girl was shot in the behind and her parents mistook the injury for her getting her period for the first time.
The family lives in Hayward, but their identities have not been disclosed, as the victim is a minor.
Sgt. Ken Forkus informs that the shooting has been reported at 27800 block of Tampa Avenue near Weekes Community Park.
The young girl was injured by a stray bullet originating from a shooting in the street in the neighborhood.
Parents checked her out and put her back to sleep, telling her that it's normal for her to experience the pain she is in.
The incident took place on Thursday at 2 a.m., and the parents waited for five hours before calling 911. The dispatcher was alerted at 7:35 a.m.
"I wasn't sure what it was and was half-asleep, so I went back to bed," neighbor Ferdinand Santos Castelo adds.
A report by the Inquisitr details that they have not heard the gunshots.
"We want to know whether they were aware their child was shot. [...] If they were scared that's understandable, but we need to get to the bottom of this," Sgt. Mark Ormsby tells the Contra Costa Times.
The girl was taken to a hospital and a "full body inspection" revealed the bullet entry wound. She has been treated and is now stable. Authorities are currently conducting an investigation into the shooter's identity.
"The suspects are cowards who came out in the middle of the night and fired at this home," Ormsby comments.
"I hope they find who did this. [...] It's sad it had to involve a child," Castelo notes.