Teen in hospital with serious injuries from accidental BB gun shooting in McLean

(Updated at 10 a.m.) A teenager ended up in the hospital over the weekend after another teen accidentally shot him with a pellet gun.

Fairfax County police officers were dispatched a home in the 6300 block of Georgetown Pike in McLean at 12:51 p.m. on Saturday (Oct. 8) in response to the reported shooting, the Fairfax County Police Department said.

According to the police scanner, officers received a 911 call for someone being shot with “lots of screaming in the background.” Responders reported that a 13-year-old boy had sustained a gunshot wound to the head from a BB gun, and they were transporting him to Inova Fairfax Hospital.

Police confirmed only that the victim was shot with a pellet gun in the upper body, and that both juveniles involved were teens.

The victim was transported to the hospital with injuries that were considered life-threatening, police said. As of last night (Monday), they remained hospitalized.

“It was a tragic accident that led to these injuries,” the FCPD said, noting that no charges are expected to be filed.

While this incident involved only a BB gun, nearly 350 children under the age of 18 unintentionally shoot themselves or someone else in the U.S. each year, according to Fairfax County Public Schools, citing findings from the gun violence prevention group Everytown for Gun Safety.

According to Everytown’s Not an Accident database, there have been at least 223 unintentional shootings by children in the U.S. so far this year, killing 98 people and injuring 136.

On the south side of the county, police responded to reports of gunshots in the Rose Hill Shopping Center parking lot at 4:05 p.m. on Friday (Oct. 7).

“Witnesses heard gunshots and saw a group of juveniles run from the area,” the FCPD told FFXnow by email. “Several cartridge cases were recovered. No injuries or property damage was reported.”

The incident remains under investigation. The department says anyone with information related to the gunfire can call its detectives at 703-691-2131.

H/t to Alan Henney.