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Tennessee boy, 5, critically wounded when neighbor accidentally fires AR-15, police say

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Tennessee man is facing criminal charges after his AR-15 accidentally fired, critically injuring a 5-year-old boy sleeping in an apartment below.

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According to WHBQ-TV, authorities arrested Paul Hill, of Memphis, and charged him with two counts of reckless endangerment in connection with the incident, which occurred about 5 p.m. Sunday at an apartment building on Club Ridge Circle.

The boy’s mother said she and her son were in bed when the child suddenly began screaming, an affidavit said. She realized the boy had been shot after she noticed blood on the bed and a bullet hole in her ceiling, according to the affidavit.

The boy’s grandparents rushed him to a nearby hospital, WHBQ reported. The child, who was shot in the leg, remains in critical condition, according to the news outlet. His mother also was treated for a graze wound, authorities said.

Police said Hill, who lives in the apartment above the victims, ran downstairs after the gun went off and said the weapon, a black AR-15 pistol, had accidentally discharged when he took it out, WHBQ reported. He was arrested and later released after posting $7,500 bond, officials said.

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