2-year-old girl recovering after grazed by bullet in Severn

BALTIMORE -- An infant is recovering after she was struck by a bullet last week in Severn, according to Anne Arundel County Police.

She is back home and is expected to be OK.

Officers responded last Friday around 10:10 p.m. to the area of Stillmeadows Road and Averill Court after they heard gunshots while responding to another call. 

There, they found a 2-year-old girl, who was in her home at the time, shot in the upper body. 

"It appears, at least preliminarily, it was shots fired from outside [the home]," Justin Mulcahy, spokesperson for the Anne Arundel County Police Department. "It was some sort of graze wound or shrapnel or something that struck this child in the upper body."

The child was treated at an area hospital and discharged the next day.

Diane, who preferred to go by her first name for privacy, told WJZ her grandchildren were visiting when the shooting happened a few doors down from her home.

She said the shooting is cause for concern for their safety.

"I was very shocked to hear that, hearing about their baby getting shot," Diane said. "It hurts because I have grandchildren. [I'm going to] keep them in the house as close as I can. I don't let them run [in the] street anyway. They have to stay home."

Another neighbor preferred to not speak to WJZ on camera but said he is worried this may get worse as the weather gets warmer.

Like any neighborhood, Diane says there are good and bad days, but she views the neighborhood as safe and that she has never had a problem before.

"Sometimes it's pretty nice how often times you know, you have, you know, problems going on, but otherwise it's not too bad," Diane said.

Anne Arundel County Police say there will be an increased police presence in that neighborhood for the next few days.

The circumstances of the shooting are unclear and no arrests have been made. Police said there is no suspect information available. 

"We're not going to stop until we solve a crime like this," Mulcahy said. "It shocks the conscience when you're dealing with a two-year-old child, obviously. To help us with this investigation, that's our call to folks in the community. If you heard something or saw some, at least for this child, let's bring closure to this case and help our detectives out.

Anyone with information is asked to call investigators at 410-222-6155. Callers wishing to remain anonymous are encouraged to contact the Anne Arundel County Police Tip Line at 410-222-4700.