An 11-year Tasmanian girl is facing life threatening injuries after being shot in the face in the state’s north, police have said.
Emergency personnel were called to her Deloraine home around 9:00pm on Tuesday.
The girl was taken to Deloraine District Hospital by a family member before she was transferred to Launceston General Hospital.
Her critical condition meant she was flown to Melbourne for treatment.
A 25-year-old man, who is believed to be related to the child, is assisting officers from Launceston CIB with their inquiries.
Yesterday, the father of a three-year-old girl who was fatally shot in western Sydney was charged over the possession of an illegal sawn-off shotgun.
The 43-year-old has not however been charged with causing the “beautiful little” girl’s death.
A neighbour told The Daily Telegraph said they had heard a woman – thought to be the toddler’s mother – shouting “I hate you, I hate you, he killed my baby girl… rot in hell.”
“She was screaming it was his fault because he had a gun in the house.”
A family friend of the girl’s grandparents said the whole family was distraught.
“The people inside have also lost a son because he’s now in jail … what happened was a tragedy,” he said.
Neighbours recounted the horrific moment they heard a “loud” bang then hysterical screening. Witnesses say they heard a man shout “she’s dead… she’s shot herself”.
Police and paramedics rushed to the scene but the little girl was found dead with a gunshot wound to the neck.
The father was denied bail for three firearm charges and contravening two Apprehended Domestic Violence Orders – one at the home where his daughter died and one at the family home in Arncliffe, Sydney.
