A 1-year-old toddler died of “life-threatening injuries” from an apparent shooting that occurred Monday evening at a playground at Charter Oak Elementary School in West Temple.
The incident — under investigation by the Temple Police Department — occurred just before 7 p.m. in the 8400 block of Poison Oak Road, Temple spokeswoman Megan Price said.
The juvenile victim was transported to a local hospital with “life-threatening injuries” Monday night, Price said.
By Tuesday afternoon, she said, the victim had died from those injuries.
“No arrests have been made at this time, and TPD is actively investigating this incident,” she said.
There is no ongoing threat to the public, Price said.
In response to questions from the Telegram, the Temple Police Department did not release the name of the victim, the victim’s city of residence nor did it provide any details of the shooting incident.
Price said since “this is an active investigation, no further information will be released at this time.”
Residents in the neighborhood said they saw a large police presence after the Monday night shooting.
Danielle Fasolino Drake said, “We could see all the lights across the flood plain behind our house. Right behind the school.”
Ted Duffield, Bell County justice of the peace for Precinct 1, said he pronounced the baby’s death at about 11:20 p.m. Monday night at a Temple hospital.
The shooting, Duffield said, is believed to be accidental.
He said “it’s too early to tell” what happened exactly while a family was with children at the park.
“There’s more questions than you can shake a stick at,” Duffield said.
The JP urged residents that have cameras facing the playground or the school to share those with police investigating the incident.
“Cameras that point to the park would be of great assistance,” Duffield said.
Jennifer Bailey, executive director of communications and community engagement for the Belton Independent School District, confirmed that the “non-school-related incident” occurred on the playground at Charter Oak Elementary on Monday, but referred questions to Temple police.
The Belton ISD campus is located at 8402 Poison Oak Road.
