Police: 11-year-old boy shot by family member in Woodruff County

A family member shot and seriously wounded an 11-year-old boy Sunday morning in Woodruff County after mistaking the boy for an intruder, according to Arkansas State Police.

State police spokesman Bill Sadler said that preliminary witness statements indicate the boy walked from a nearby home into a residence where a family member resided in the Mayberry Community west of Cotton Plant.

The family member's relationship to the boy wasn't clear Sunday afternoon, but Sadler said the shooter called 911 to report a possible intruder before wounding the child.

Woodruff County sheriff's deputies arrived to the home to find the wounded boy near a doorway to the house, Sadler said.

Responders rushed the child to Arkansas Children's Hospital where he was in critical condition Sunday afternoon.

State police detectives will investigate the incident and turn their findings over to prosecutors for any possible charges.

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