Boy shot in head with pellet gun, DeLand police say

5-year-old in stable condition

DeLAND, Fla. – Emergency crews rushed a 5-year-old boy to Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children after he was found unconscious, shot by a pellet gun.

"I know she put him in the car and drove off, and then all the cops came over," neighbor James Bolton said.

Bolton, 14, said he was inside watching TV when he heard the commotion.

"I was surprised. I thought it was a real gun. I mean, he shot him in the head, so I figured it was a real gun," Bolton said.

A friend of the boy's mother called 911 as she was driving to the hospital in Volusia County. The dispatcher attempted to get Jessica Santana to pull over and give the boy CPR after she said he was not breathing.

"He’s not responding, Ma’am. I cannot stop. I cannot stop," Santana said.

Honking can be heard in the background of the 911 call as Santana rushed the boy to the hospital.

"Jessica, if he is not breathing I need you to stop the car," the dispatcher said.

"I want you to pull the car over so I can start CPR instructions with you. You need to tell me where you are."

The mother and her friend made it to the hospital with the 5-year-old running him into the emergency room.

The boy was then transported to Arnold Palmer by emergency crews.

Not long after, investigators said they learned a group of kids was playing with a pellet gun when the boy was shot.

 

At last check, police said the child is in stable condition.