In Clay, Alabama, a teenage girl returning home after 2 A.M. was mistaken for an intruder by her stepfather.  She was accidentally shot in the abdomen.

Her parents say they “heard the garage door open and thought someone was breaking into the home. The stepfather retrieved his firearm and went to investigate.”  After the shooting, the girl was taken to a local hospital with serious injuries.

This incident represents the third time a Birmingham-area child was killed or injured in a reported gun accident in less than a week.

Source:

“15-year-old Shot by Stepfather after Returning Home Unexpectedly,” 6 WBRC (November 2, 2020).