DeKalb County

5-year-old boy shot in DeKalb County park

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — A 5-year-old boy is recovering after being shot in the head with a BB gun by a man in a DeKalb County park.

"For the guy to sit here and shoot the little boy. There was no reason," witness Santrice Brown said.

Witnesses say a young girl found a BB gun around 1 p.m. at Lou Walker Park on Larkspur Terrace.

Witnesses told police the girl showed the gun to a man who didn't think the gun was real.

"I guess he thought it was a play toy and shot the little boy in the head," Brown said.

Witnesses say the boy was breathing when he was taken to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Egleston.

The boy will stay at the hospital overnight while doctors work to confirm he suffered no brain damage.

Police have taken the man they believe is the shooter into custody.

Police have not found the gun. Witnesses say the man threw it into the woods.

One witness told Channel 2 Action News the 24-year-old shooter is the boyfriend of the child's mother.

Police say they are unsure if the shooting was intentional or accidental.