Dramatic body cam video captured the moment Florida deputies rushed to the rescue of a 5-year-old girl who accidentally shot herself in the leg with a firearm she found under a bed.
Deputies with the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office arrived at the home on Boxelder Steet in Deltona on Saturday afternoon and found the girl “conscious & alert but bleeding,” the agency said on X.
“Deputies Maletto, Kagle, Williams, Estrada and Rodriguez worked quickly to administer aid, apply a tourniquet and carry the child out to Deltona Fire Rescue,” police wrote.
“She was transported to Arnold Palmer Hospital, where staff reported that the rapid response and tourniquet application likely saved her life,” the sheriff’s office added.
The girl “gained access to a shotgun under a family member’s bed,” police said.
No arrests or charges have been made in connection with the accidental shooting at the residence north of Orlando, officials said.
Detectives are investigating the incident and will forward the findings to the State Attorney’s Office for review, officials said.
Police released chilling footage of the rapid response. Most of it was blurred of privacy reasons but the audio captured the dramatic interaction.
“Let me see, sweetie. Let me see,” a deputy is heard saying, to which the girl replies, “Right there.”
“Get the tourniquet! Get the tourniquet!” the deputy says.
“Push it down hard. Go, go, go, go!”
The deputy warns the child that “this is gonna hurt, allright?”
A moment later, she cries out in pain.
“We got ya! You’re all right sweetheart. Don’t look at it,” the deputy reassures her.
“Hold my hand. hold my hand. You’re going to be all right,” a first responder then tells the frightened girl.
Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood praised authorities’ response.
“The hair on the back of my neck stood up listening to these deputies render aid to this 5-year-old girl,” Chitwood wrote on X. “What an outstanding example of decisive action and compassion by all involved.”