No Charges To Be Filed In Shooting Of 7-Year-Old Girl

MOUNTAIN BROOK, AL — No charges are anticipated in the shooting of 7 year old Nina Smith, who has been in the ICU since a Nov. 19 incident. The Oliver Elementary School second grader was involved in a wreck in Mountain Brook on her way to the hospital to treat what was has been deemed an accidental gunshot wound.

Nina was at her father's home in Gate City with her older brothers and sisters and an adult when her 14-year-old sibling accidentally shot her. Nina's father was not home at the time. The bullet went through Nina's shoulder and exited her side. Evidence presented to the Jefferson County District Attorney's Office confirmed that the incident was an accident, caused when Nina's sibling removed a clip from the gun without realizing a bullet was still in the chamber.

Someone in the home then attempted to transport Nina to the hospital when the wreck occurred. Nina's lungs were punctured, and her gall bladder had to be removed. She still has various abdominal injuries and is breathing with the assistance of a tube.

Elizabeth Williams, the child's mother, told AL.com that she not happy with the decision not to file charges. "It was not an accident,'' she told the news outlet. "I'm going to fight it."

Williams said she believes the gun was brought into the home by one of the sibling's friends.