Child shot in face on Bridge Creek Road, flown to Birmingham

A child was shot in the face on Bridge Creek Road, west of Pine Level, and airlifted to Children’s Hospital in Birmingham, where the juvenile was listed in critical but stable condition.

Autauga County Sheriff’s Office officials said the shooting happened Monday afternoon, with one report placing it around 5 p.m. Sheriff Mark Harrell described it as an apparent accidental shooting, and investigators were still trying to piece together exactly how it happened. Deputies had not publicly said who was present, whether anyone was in custody, or whether the firearm was being handled at the time.

The lack of detail has become central to the case. Law enforcement is working to reconstruct what happened in a rural part of the county where emergency transport can be time-sensitive and where a split second with a weapon can turn a home into a crime scene. Officials also said they were still trying to determine whether the shooting was accidental.

The child’s transfer to Birmingham underscored the seriousness of the injury. Children’s of Alabama says its emergency department is the only Pediatric Level 1 Trauma Center in Alabama and handles more than 70,000 visits a year, making it the destination for some of the state’s most critical pediatric emergencies. For a severe facial gunshot wound in west Autauga County, that level of care can be the difference between life and death.

The sheriff’s office used the update to remind adults to secure firearms carefully, especially as the school year winds down and more children are spending time at home. Officials also asked the public to keep the child in their prayers, while releasing few other details about the victim or the circumstances.

The case has immediate relevance for families along Bridge Creek Road and across the southern part of Autauga County. The sheriff’s office says the county is majority rural, with 85% of its land used for timber and farming, a reminder of how quickly help may need to come from the air when a child is critically hurt far from a major hospital.

The incident also lands in the middle of a broader public health problem. The CDC says firearm injuries and deaths remain a significant issue nationwide, and Alabama’s firearm mortality figures are tracked each year. For now, the urgent facts in Autauga County are the same ones deputies are still trying to confirm: what happened on Bridge Creek Road, whether it was accidental, and who may be responsible.