Police in Spanish Fork, Utah, identified a person of interest in the recent and purportedly accidental shooting of a two-year-old boy at a daycare in the town.

A man was shooting at birds with a .22 caliber air rifle in open fields west of the daycare, law enforcement announced Wednesday.

The man, whose property is 300 to 400 yards from the daycare, is cooperating with police, and will not be publicly named unless formal charges are filed.

The man “did not even know there was a daycare facility” nearby, and was taken aback when informed of what had happened, Spanish Fork Police Lt. Cory Slaymaker told KSL-TV.

On Monday, the two-year-old boy was among a group of youngsters playing outside in a fenced area at Leap Ahead Daycare. The two adults on hand noticed the boy suddenly stumble while bleeding from the face.

No one heard the shot, and the daycare’s owner was shocked that the bleeding was caused by an inadvertent gunshot.

“We’re absolutely dumbfounded. And we pray for the family and hope that the doctors are able to do everything needed, but we’re absolutely surprised,” Leap Ahead Daycare proprietor Lane Mugleston told the Associated Press.

The boy’s parents picked him up and headed to a local hospital, where scans showed that a small caliber round was lodged in the toddler’s head.

The child was then transferred to the Primary Children’s Medical Center in Salt Lake City, where he is in stable condition and continuing to improve.

For now, the child’s family has opted to keep the bullet embedded in the boy’s head, fearing further damage if surgery was done to remove it.

• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.