HARRELLS — A child was airlifted Thursday night after reportedly being shot in the face as he walked with his father down Belvin-Maynard Road, Sampson County Sheriff’s authorities said. Investigators are currently in the Harrells community trying to identify the crime scene and locate any potential witnesses.
Around 7 p.m. Thursday, the Sampson County E-911 Center received a call that a 10-year-old boy had been shot in the face. Units were dispatched to 60 Maddie Lane, Harrells.
Before emergency personnel could arrive on the scene, a relative placed the child in a vehicle and proceeded toward Clinton in an attempt to transport him to the hospital, sheriff’s authorities said. A responding deputy intercepted the vehicle carrying the child and started rendering first aid until Sampson County EMS personnel arrived on the scene.
According to reports, deputies assisted EMS in transporting the child to an emergency landing zone, where he was airlifted to a regional trauma center. The condition of the child and the hospital to which he was airlifted was not immediately known.
The incident is in the preliminary stages, a sheriff’s press release stated, however deputies have been told the child and his father were walking down Belvin-Maynard Road when the father heard a gunshot and saw his son fall. He carried the child back to their residence and called for help before attempting to take him to the hospital.