A 9-year-old boy was struck by a single bullet after hitting it with a hammer on Thursday, according to Tuscarawas County Sheriff Orvis Campbell.
Just after 7 p.m., the Tuscarawas County Sheriff's 911 Center got a phone call from a neighbor in one of the residences on Sunset Boulevard in Dundee, Wayne County, Campbell said.
The sheriff said the neighbor told officials about a 9-year-old who was found outside with his 6-year-old brother near a shed bleeding with a cut. They indicated that he may have cut himself, and it was believed that the wound may have been from a gunshot.
After detectives investigated further and spoke to his 6-year-old brother, they discovered that the 9-year-old was hitting a .22 caliber bullet that he found with a hammer and the bullet exploded— causing sharpnel to go into his arm and ankle, Campbell said.
According to the sheriff's office, the 9-year-old was taken to the Akron Children's Hospital to be treated for his injuries officials said were not severe. He is expected to make a full recovery.
Campbell said there was no gun found on the scene, and left a reminder for people to keep their firearms and ammunition away from children.
"While boys getting into things that they should not is about as old as time, this case gives the rest of us an opportunity to talk to our kids about the dangers of firearms and ammunition and to secure it out of reach," Campbell said.
