Boy, 11, Accidentally Shoots Girl In Cleveland County

A 12-year-old girl is recovering after being shot Sunday by a playmate.

The Cleveland County Sheriff's Office says a 12-year-old boy took a loaded .22 caliber rifle from underneath a bed at a home in the 6300 block of 180th Avenue S.E. The boy then took the weapon outside to show to a group of his friends.

Deputies say the boy cleared the gun's chamber and removed the magazine, but there was still a round inside the weapon. The boy let a friend, an 11-year-old boy, hold the weapon. While the boy was holding the gun he accidentally squeezed the trigger.

The bullet struck the girl in the abdomen. The children immediately called 911 and the girl was rushed to a hospital in Norman. She is expected to be okay.

The sheriff's office says the children and their parents fully cooperated with investigators. No one was arrested, but deputies are still investigating the shooting.

This is the second time in little more than a week that a child has been accidentally shot in Cleveland County. A 10-year-old girl was critically injured when a 14-year-old relative shot her in the head.

3/8/2012 Related Story: Norman Police Investigate Shooting Of 10-Year-Old Girl

Cleveland County Sheriff Joe Lester urged parents who have guns in the home to make sure children cannot access them.

"Never leave a loaded gun unsecured where a child can easily get access," said Sheriff Lester. "The consequences are often dangerous and sometimes deadly. Nobody wants to see a child get hurt."