RICHMOND, Ind. — An 11-year-old girl allegedly shot by a 17-year-old in the first block of South 18th Street last week is in stable condition and communicating with a dry erase board, a Richmond police spokesman said Tuesday.
Police said Friday the girl had been transferred to Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis in critical condition.
A 17-year-old boy, Tave’On Chappell, was arrested in connection to the shooting and has been detained in the Vigo County Juvenile Justice Center in Terre Haute, court documents show. He has been charged as an adult in Wayne Superior Court No. 1 with dangerous possession of a firearm, a Level 5 felony carrying up to six years in prison.
A judge set bail set at $8,000. All other documents, including the probable cause affidavit, remain sealed.
On Tuesday, court records show that Chappell, was appointed a public defender and trial was set for March 17.
About 5 p.m. Dec. 5, the Wayne County Emergency Operations Center received a report from Reid Health about the 11-year-old girl arriving with a gunshot wound, police said.
Police said Friday that preliminary investigations from RPD suggest the shooting occurred at a residence in the block where several people were present at the time, police said in the release.
“This tragic incident serves as a heartbreaking reminder of the devastating consequences when firearms are not handled responsibly,” RPD Chief Kyle Weatherly said in the release. “Every gun owner has an absolute duty to ensure weapons are stored securely and kept out of the reach of children.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with this young girl and her family as they endure this unimaginable ordeal,” he said. “As a community, we must work together to prevent senseless tragedies like this and ensure the safety of every child in Richmond.”
Police have not released information about who owned the gun, whether the witnesses were all juveniles or other information about the incident.
Evan Weaver is a news and sports reporter at The Palladium-Item. Contact him on X (@evan_weaver7) or email at eweaver@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Richmond Palladium-Item: 11-year-old Richmond girl stable and communicating after being shot last week