FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. – An 11-year-old boy was grazed by a stray bullet that penetrated his home while two off-duty Flagler County deputies were conducting target practice nearby, according to sheriff’s office officials.
The incident occurred last week at the boy’s residence in the Daytona North area of Flagler County. The child was playing video games in his room when he heard a loud crack before being struck.
“Someone is shooting outside, and the bullet went through the house and hit my son’s wrist and then his neck,” the child’s mother reported in her 911 call.
The boy sustained minor injuries, described by officials as burns from the bullet’s contact, and is recovering.
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office revealed that two off-duty deputies - a father and daughter - were conducting target practice with a sheriff’s office-assigned rifle on their private property, located four houses away from the victim’s house. One of their bullets went through the family’s wall.
“Within the confines of what the law is, certainly people can target practice,” FCSO Chief Mark Strobridge said.
However, Strobridge noted that there are protocols for deputies using department-issued weapons.
“There has to be an authorized training, and it has to be approved by a supervisor. That all will become part of the internal investigation,” Strobridge explained.
The sheriff’s office has launched a criminal investigation into the incident and both deputies remain on active duty during this process.
Following the completion of the criminal investigation, the sheriff’s office will conduct an internal investigation to determine whether the deputies violated any departmental protocols.
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