7-Year-Old Shot By Younger Sibling; Caregiver Who 'Dozed Off' And Left Shotgun Unattended Arrested

A Florida woman has been arrested after a 7-year-old child under her care was accidentally shot by a younger sibling. The caregiver was allegedly asleep when the incident took place.

Police responded to a medical emergency call at a residence in the northeast Florida community of Southport at around 2 a.m. Thursday. Upon arriving at the scene, officers found the caregiver holding the injured girl who was bleeding on the bathroom floor from a gunshot wound, reported WANE.

"Deputies immediately administered emergency care and EMS arrived within minutes and took the child to a local hospital," Bay County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement posted on Facebook.

The minor was rushed to a nearby hospital to receive treatment for life-threatening injuries. Currently, she is in stable condition, WMBB said in a report.

The caregiver, identified as 32-year-old Kayla Tully, told investigators she had heard the dog barking at some point. She went to the back door to check why the dog was making noises and then left a loaded 20-gauge shotgun leaning against the back door where there was no threat. She admitted to keeping a loaded gun for personal safety.

Tully later "dozed off" and was woken up by one of the five children in the house, who told her the 7-year-old had been shot, according to investigators. Tully reportedly told them she had slept through the shooting and had not heard the gunshot.

Investigators believe the 7-year-old girl was shot by a younger sibling. Deputies said five children between the ages of 5 and 12 lived in the home.

The girl told officers she and her brother had been playing with the unattended gun. Unfortunately, he accidentally shot her. She did not want her brother to get in trouble "by saying anything," the girl said as per WANE.

According to the arrest affidavit, Tully confessed to smoking marijuana earlier in the day. She also tested positive for methamphetamine. However, she told investigators she had not used the drug for several days.

Tully was taken into custody and charged with cruelty toward a child – aggravated abuse, four counts of child neglect and unsafe storage of a firearm.