Stray bullet gets lodged in head of 2-year-old playing outside day care, Utah police say

Day care workers looking after children playing in a fenced play area noticed a 2-year-old stumble and discovered blood on the child’s face, Utah police said.

They didn’t realize the child had been hit by a stray bullet that got lodged in his head, Spanish Fork police said in a news release.

The day care notified the child’s parents, who took the toddler to a hospital, after the incident Monday, May 22, police said.

Scans by doctors revealed a small-caliber bullet still in the child’s head, the release said. The child is in stable condition.

An investigation into the source of the bullet continues, police said.

“It appears this was a tragic accident,” the release said. “Open fields are directly west of the day care and it is believed the round may have come from that area.”

Spanish Fork is a city of 44,000 people about 50 miles south of Salt Lake City.

This story was originally published May 23, 2023 at 1:48 PM with the headline "Stray bullet gets lodged in head of 2-year-old playing outside day care, Utah police say."