US: Father arrested after child shoots girl

The father of an 8-year-old who accidentally shot a 7-year-old girl at a suburban Washington day care centre was arrested on gun charges, and police said the boy was in custody.

John Linwood Hall, 56, was charged with leaving a firearm in a location accessible by an unsupervised minor, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and possession of a firearm by a felon, according to Montgomery County police.

Police charged the boy in the case, Montgomery County State’s Attorney Douglas Gansler said today, but he would not detail the charges because the eight-year-old is a juvenile.

The boy, whose name was not released, was to have his case reviewed by the Department of Juvenile Services, according to a police news release.

The boy came to For Kids We Care yesterday morning with a .38-calibre Taurus revolver and with bullets in his backpack.

He was handling the gun inside the backpack when it went off, striking the girl in the arm.

The girl is in stable condition and her wounds were not considered life-threatening, authorities said.