OHIO — A 16-year-old boy was hospitalized Thursday morning after what investigators believe was an accidental shooting in Liberty Township, according to the Butler County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies responded around 9 a.m. to the 6900 block of Dutchland Parkway after receiving a report of a juvenile with a gunshot wound.
A preliminary investigation found that the 16-year-old and two friends were walking from the Lakota Point Townhomes through a field behind Woodland Elementary School toward a nearby Kroger when the teen was struck by a bullet from an undetermined direction.
His friends carried him to the school parking lot, where emergency crews took him to UC West Chester Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Detectives later found a black and purple 9mm handgun inside a large dumpster near the school parking lot. The weapon had been reported stolen the previous day by the victim’s stepmother to the West Chester Police Department.
After reviewing surveillance footage, detectives concluded that the shooting likely occurred when one of the juveniles accidentally discharged the firearm while behind the dumpster.
The incident remains under investigation.
Lakota Schools said Woodland Elementary and Liberty Junior are continuing classes with adjustments to allow the investigation to continue. School officials said there would be an increased police presence on campus and that all activities, including recess, will remain indoors.
