Young girl shoots sister at Fresno home

FRESNO, Calif. -- Fresno police said the 10-year-old daughter of a Madera County sheriff's lieutenant shot her 8-year-old sister at a home in the area of Bullard and Cornelia avenues on Friday morning.

Shortly before 8 a.m., police got a call from a frantic father saying his 10-year-old shot his 8-year-old daughter. Police said the father, a lieutenant at the Madera County Sheriff's Office, had left his gun on the bed while he was getting ready for work. They said there was not an ammunition clip in the gun on the bed, but there was one bullet in the chamber. Investigators said they do not believe the father was far away from his weapon for very long before his daughter picked up the gun and pulled the trigger.

When officers arrived, they found the 8-year-old victim with a gunshot wound to her lower torso. The girl was taken to the hospital. Police said she is awake, alert and speaking with nurses, and she is expected to be OK.

During a news conference on Friday afternoon, Madera County Sheriff Jay Varney confirmed that the child used her father's department-issued .40-caliber handgun in the shooting. We are told the sheriff's lieutenant is cooperating with investigators.

"Considering the circumstance of what's happened here and since he wasn't directly involved in the discharge of the firearm, no I will not be putting him on administrative leave," said Varney. "Certainly his family and he will be allowed any type of time off he needs to participate in the healing of his daughter."

Fresno police will be in charge of this investigation because the shooting happened in their city. At this point, it's not clear whether the lieutenant will face any charges for any wrongdoing.