A 9-year-old girl shot Friday in Clayton County is improving, and should make a full recovery, Channel 2 Action News reported Monday.
The 19-year-old woman charged in the shooting made her first court appearance on Saturday.
The woman, identified in Clayton County Jail records as Rachel Burrell, was charged with aggravated assault, reckless conduct, cruelty to children and marijuana possession. The girl, whose name has not been released, was initially hospitalized in critical condition, but her status had improved to stable condition by Monday, police told Channel 2.
A Clayton County judge Saturday morning set bond at $70,000 for Burrell.
The shooting happened shortly before 5 p.m. Friday in a house on Steeple Ridge Court in the Clayton County community.
The wounded child, whose name was not disclosed, was transported by medical helicopter to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston, police said. But before she went to the hospital, she told investigators who allegedly shot her.
The woman was handling a semi-automatic pistol when it went off and a bullet struck the child in the stomach, police said. The magazine had been removed, but a round was still in the chamber, police told Channel 2.
“There were a number of children and adults in the residence, apparently in a babysitting kind of capacity,” Riverdale Police Chief Samuel Patterson told Channel 2. “The 19-year-old was either handling, playing with [or] cleaning ... the weapon, and it discharged.”
Those in the home were taken to the Riverdale Police Department, where they were questioned Friday evening before the 19-year-old was charged.
Staff writer Mike Morris contributed to this article.
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