Man charged with assault after child pierced by arrow
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SILVERHILL, Alabama (WALA) — A 3-year-old girl remains in the hospital after she was pierced by an arrow during a graduation party Saturday night in Silverhill.
35-year-old Ryan Archer has been charged with second degree assault.
Silverhill police Chief Kenny Hempfleng says Archer allegedly shot the “blunt tip” arrow at a “dirt target”, but it bounced off and struck the girl as she stood at the top of a tall inflatable at the party next door.
Though Hempfleng says Archer did not intend to harm the child, he’s being charged with second degree assault because it was “his reckless behavior” that caused her injuries.
“It is kind of alarming you know that something like that happened in our neighborhood,” said Kati Riley who lives across the street on Woodpecker Road, she says she saw the graduation party going on yesterday and noticed the large blow up in the backyard.
“It was well over the roof of the house. I hope the little girl doesn’t have a hard recovery.”
She and other neighbors were stunned to hear how the party ended.
“It’s kind of dangerous, like we have children too so I mean if someone is shooting a bow and arrow around they need to be more careful. I mean that’s really high in the air for it to go as well.”
The child was airlifted to the hospital.
FOX10 News is hearing she is expected to survive.
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