Pennsylvania Girl Shot in Face After Answering Her Front Door

Written By @cabbagepatchgrl

In Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, about 60 miles north of Philadelphia, an 11-year-old was shot in the face after she answered a knock at her front door late Wednesday night.

The girl was still undergoing treatment Thursday and is expected to survive but suffered “significant facial trauma,” said Bethlehem Police Department.

The girl was not the intended target, but police do not think it was a random shooting.

Images of the crime scene published in local media showed at least one vehicle was in the driveway. Police are still unclear of who else was in the home at the time, or why the girl answered the door so late at night.

Police released a few details about the suspect, describing him as “possibly male,” adding that he may have had his face covered. Investigators do not believe there is “any increased danger” to the public.

Residents are being urged to report anything suspicious to police.

According to Allentown-based WFMZ, multiple shots were heard in rapid succession at the time of the incident. Marcie Lightwood, one of the neighbors, told Lehigh Valley Live that she and her husband awoke to the sound of five gunshots; she said the neighborhood is usually quiet.

The shooting comes as gun violence has surged in cities around the country, including Chicago and New York – where stray bullets have struck a multiple number of child bystanders throughout the summer.