An Arizona dad is behind bars after police said he accidentally shot his young daughter in the abdomen last week while "teaching her gun safety."
According to KTVK-TV, Eldon Mcinville, 26, of Glendale, was charged with child abuse and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in connection with the Thursday incident, which critically injured the 6-year-old girl, authorities said.
Mcinville said he was at home cleaning his newly purchased shotgun for the first time about 2 p.m. Thursday when he slipped and the gun fired, court documents said. His daughter, who was standing about 2 feet away, was struck in the abdomen and suffered small bowel and colon injuries, a fractured pelvic bone and a large soft tissue defect, according to the documents.
"He advised that he had the victim in his room and was teaching her gun safety" at the time, police said in the probable cause statement.
The girl was taken to a nearby hospital in critical condition, KTVK reported.
Glendale police Sgt. John Roth said the responding officers called the victim "the bravest, strongest girl they've ever seen."
"She was talking," he told KTVK. "She wasn't crying. She was asking questions as any 6-year-old would do."
The girl likely will undergo "multiple more surgeries and be in the hospital for months," according to the probable cause statement.
Police also said they found two more unsecured, loaded firearms – a shotgun and a revolver – in the home.
Mcinville is being held on a $50,000 cash bond and is scheduled to appear in court again May 6, KTVK reported.
