DANBURY, Conn. (WCBS 880) — A 14-year-old boy has been arrested in connection with a shooting that wounded a teenage girl at a mall in Connecticut last week.
The 15-year-old girl was shot in the chest when gunfire erupted during a dispute between two groups of young people near a Macy's at the Danbury Fair Mall last Wednesday evening.
Danbury Police said the victim was treated on the scene by an off-duty EMT and responding officers before being taken to Danbury Hospital in stable condition. Her injuries are described as non-life threatening.
The girl was with one of the groups involved in the altercation, but it wasn't clear if she was the intended target.
"It appears that there was another target, and we do have some information that a male was running from the scene carrying a hammer," Danbury Police Chief Patrick Ridenhour said last week. "We believe he may have been the target, but she got in the way."
The shooting prompted a lockdown of the mall as Danbury Police and other agencies searched the building and reviewed surveillance footage, he said. It was later determined the suspect fled the building after the incident.
Following an investigation, detectives were able to identify the alleged shooter and recovered the handgun used in the incident.
The teen suspect turned himself in to police Monday. He was accompanied by his parents and attorney, Danbury Police said.
The suspect, who's name is not being released because of his age, is charged with assault, reckless endangerment, unlawful discharge of a firearm, carrying a pistol without a permit, risk of injury to a minor and breach of peace.
He has been transported to the Bridgeport Juvenile Detention Center.