Ariel Salaices: 2 year old Tennessee girl in critical condition after a stray bullet struck her in the head while playing on a slide in the family backyard.
A 2-year-old Tennessee girl is on life support after a stray bullet struck her in the head while she was playing on a slide.
Ariel Salaices is fighting for her life after being shot while playing in the backyard of her family’s home in Mountain City, which is about 150 miles northeast of Knoxville, ABC News reported.
The toddler had been playing with her older brother on their playset last Friday, March 15, when the bullet was fired and became lodged in her head.
Ariel reportedly attempted to run to get help from her dad but collapsed.
She was rushed to a local hospital and later transferred to East Tennessee Children’s Hospital in Knoxville, where she remained in the intensive care unit, according to a Facebook page dedicated to her recovery.
Told Ariel’s mother, Christina, ‘If it weren’t for son and my husband, she probably wouldn’t have had a chance.’
Gun range noted to exist close to the family home:
Police are seeking to identify the person who fired the bullet. They’ve since urged anyone with information about the shooting to contact the Johnson County Sheriff’s Department.
Her aunt, Stephanie Brown, created a GoFundMe page to raise money for the girl’s medical bills.
‘Ariel is a very spunky little girl,’ Brown told ABC. ‘She’s sassy and she’s full of life. She’s definitely not one who wants to sit still.’
Noted the fundraiser page: ‘She ended up having a stroke, and that being said she has no function or blood flow to the trauma area’.
Of note Alicia’s mom said there is a gun range near their home.
Authorities are now seeking to determine if the bullet was fired from the gun range and what safety measures are in place.
