A man at a Halloween party shot a 9-year-old relative that he mistook for a skunk. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)
NEW SEWICKLEY TOWNSHIP, Pa. (CBS Baltimore) – A 9-year-old girl was shot at a Halloween party by a relative who mistook her for a skunk in her costume.
The unidentified male relative shot her in the shoulder with a shotgun as she was coming over a hillside around 8:30 p.m, New Sewickley Police Chief Ronald Leindecker told the Timesonline. She was looking to attend a costume party at 376 Brewer Road for the approaching holiday.
The girl was wearing a black costume and a black hat with white tassel, which the man assumed was a small animal, possibly a skunk.
The girl was alert and talking when she was flown to UPMC Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh, Leindecker said. A report on her condition was not available. Leindecker told the Timesonline of Beaver that he was not sure if charges will be filed.
He added that the man had not been drinking.
Leindecker said officers on Saturday night were still investigating and collecting statements, and they will turn over the case to the Beaver County district attorney’s office.
