Bullet lodged in 8-month-old girl’s lung after shots fired into Shelby home

SHELBY, N.C. — An infant was flown to the hospital after being hit by a bullet during a shooting Tuesday night in Shelby, police said.

The 8-month-old girl was shot just before 10:30 p.m. inside a home on Putnam Street, near Highway 74 and South Lafayette Street.

Detectives said there was an altercation outside the house and shots were fired. The baby, who family identified as Darbie, was inside the house and was hit by a bullet that came through an outside wall of the home.

Initially, police told Channel 9 that someone drove by and fired at least 15 shots, and that one of those bullets hit the baby, who was being held by her mother at the time.

“The mother says they were in bed together,” said Shelby Police Lt. Scott Champion. “She was holding the baby at the time the shots rang out and the baby was struck.”

The first officers who arrived rushed the girl to the hospital and she was then flown to Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte. Police said she had a bullet lodged in one of her lungs.

Detectives said Darbie’s mother told them the child was in stable condition.

“When you got an 8-month-old injured, it just puts it on another level,” Champion said.

Neighbor Dorian Allen said one of the bullets hit his home. He described what he heard to Channel 9′s Tina Terry when gunfire erupted.

“I started hearing more gunshots so I got on the ground. I got on the ground quick and then, I heard a car take off,” Allen said. “I seen the mother come outside with the baby and they was all crying. I heard the baby crying and it really about made me cry because I got a baby.”

Police are still investigating the shooting, but they told Channel 9 they don’t believe the baby’s family was involved or the intended target of the shooter.

“It could have been much more tragic,” Capt. Brad Fraser with Shelby Police said. “A lot of times, I don’t think people understand this is an innocent bystander that could have lost her life.”

No arrests have been made.

Check back with wsoctv.com for updates on this story.

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