FULTONDALE, Ala. (WIAT) — A student from Fultondale is on the road to recovery at Children’s of Alabama after being caught in a shooting incident that erupted from a dispute between his mother and another woman at their apartment complex on Monday evening.
According to Police Chief Marcel Walker, the young boy, who is in the 6th grade, underwent surgery on Tuesday after a bullet struck his left side and became lodged in his elbow. Chief Walker assured that the boy is expected to fully recover. Meanwhile, the two mothers involved in the altercation have been taken in for questioning, though no arrests have been made at this point.
Officers responded to a 911 call at the Chapel Creek Apartments at approximately 8:30 p.m. on Monday.
The incident began as a verbal dispute between two women over an earlier incident involving their children on the apartment’s playground, which eventually turned into a physical fight.
During the confrontation, one of the women brandished a firearm and discharged a single shot, inadvertently hitting the 6th grader, who was nearby and not part of the dispute.
“I’m extremely upset and disgusted about the actions of two adult women,” the Chief stated. “This is no place for two mothers to result in violence with a gun being present and a child being shot.”
Neighbor Paul Harris, a father of 3, shared his reaction to the shooting:
“Parents got to do better,” he remarked. “They got to sit down and be able to talk stuff out when it’s got something to do with the kids.”
Lauren Arnold is a licensed professional counselor at Impact Family Counseling.
When it comes to having tough conversations, she said making sure you’re calm is key, and if you feel your temperature starting to rise you should walk away.
“I think walking away is important,” she explained. “De-escalation is not weakness; it’s prioritizing our safety over pride.”
She said it’s never a good idea to bring a child along when confronting someone.
“Bringing them into that situation brings those heightened emotions,” she noted. “Not bringing them can lessen those nervous system feelings.”
The shooting remains under investigation. Chief Walker says you can always call 911 and let local law enforcement respond.