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12/22/2024 10:07:40 am

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Newborn Baby Critical After Being Shot in Pennsylvania ‘Freak Hunting Accident’

Hunter

(Photo : Reuters)

A newborn Pennsylvania baby boy is fighting for his life after being shot in the head in what authorities believed to be a freak accident on September 25.

As of Monday, the 5-day-old baby was said to be in critical condition after receiving a gunshot wound to the head last week while he was lying on his father's lap in their Pennsylvania home at around 7p.m.

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Indiana County District Attorney's office spokesperson Dianna Rostis said that the baby, identified by locals as Thayne Iverson, was hit by a stray bullet Thursday last week in what appears to be a hunting accident.

According to Rostis, two men were "red-tag hunting" a deer along the Elder Ridge Road neighborhood when a stray bullet entered the window of the home where it injured both father and infant.

"Red-tag hunting allows authorized hunters to kill deer on certain properties to protect agriculture," Rostis explained to Reuters.

Reports indicated that the bullet entered the back of the head of the infant and exited through his eye socket, putting him in a critical state.

The newborn was immediately airlifted to the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh where he is currently fighting for his life.

Local media reports stated that the infant has been blinded by the gunshot wound.

No charges have been filed against the shooters yet as investigations by the Pennsylvania Game Commission and the Pennsylvania State Police are still underway.

While investigators treat it as a criminal case, authorities believe that the incident was just a freak hunting accident.

Both hunters are being cooperative during the probe as police officers seized their permits and weapons for further examination.

District Attorney Patrick Dougherty explained that hunting accidents happen annually, though he expressed his disbelief at how the infant was shot while lying comfortably his father's lap.

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