Toddler Hit By Stray Bullet
In Louisville, Kentucky, the almost fatal shooting of a toddler is a good example of how celebratory gunfire can turn dangerous on New Year’s Eve.
If just a few inches over, the bullet would have been fatal for 2-year-old Cameron Eli Compton. Thankfully it did not.
Cameron’s father Dustin said that the bullet has been removed and that Cameron is recovering well.
Dustin posted on Facebook saying
“We know that we are truly blessed that we still have our little soldier and that he’s going to be OK,”
The bullet had hit Cameron outside a friend’s house on New Year’s Eve.
Dustin’s job entails working on heating and air conditioning and he had just finished a service call to fix the heating at his friends home.
He had brought his family along, which he doesn’t usually do, but it was friends and it was New Year’s Eve.
They had heard a lot of celebratory gunfire outside around 9.30pm and were too afraid to go outside so they waited another hour, hoping for the shots to die down.
“It got quiet, I walked outside, I looked everywhere, looked around, there’s was nobody out.” Dustin said. “That’s when I decided, hey, it’s time we need to go ahead and go, get out of here, before it all starts back up.”
As Cameron’s Mom was about to put him in his car seat, the bullet hit the toddler’s shoulder.
They rushed Cameron’s back into the house. They took off his jacket and observed he was shot in his shoulder.
Dustin is gutted by the incident and has a message for anyone who thinks that firing a gun in the air is a harmless thing to do.
“It kills me that people are still so idiotic, that they don’t even stop to think that what goes up, has to come down.” he said.
Police told the family that it is nearly impossible to find the person who fired the bullet but like any parent, Dustin would like to see the person responsible punished.
I would expect them to have to pay for what they’ve done, but I wouldn’t want to see them go down for attempted murder or anything like that. But I wouldn’t want to see a little slap on the wrist, either.” he said. “We’re past anger, we just want closure at this point.”