Teen girl injured by stray bullet at Chambers County football game

WINNIE, Texas (KTRK) -- Investigators in Chambers County are working to find out who may have discharged a firearm that resulted in a teen girl's injury while attending a football game Thursday night.

The girl was at the East Chambers and Anahuac junior varsity game in Winnie when she was hit, but no one realized the injury was the result of a gunshot at first, according to authorities.

"She was in the stands here at the football stadium. She was hit by something. She thought she had just been hit and then saw a hole in her jeans, and there was an injury to her leg," explained Captain Bryan Baker with the Chambers County Sheriff's Office. "They did not realize it was a gunshot wound."

Authorities say the girl was taken to the emergency room, and then to a Houston hospital for treatment.

According to the East Chambers ISD Superintendent, the girl was back at school on Friday. She wanted everyone to know she is going to be okay.

"Although, it's believed that this incident is the result of careless use of a firearm, we will pursue charges on whoever is responsible for this senseless act," Sheriff Brian Hawthorne said.

Lexie Rodriguez, a student at East Chambers High School, says she was not at the game Thursday, but quickly learned about the incident on social media.

"I was looking at Snapchat and it said, 'Y'all, please pray for her,'" Rodriguez said. "And, it didn't say no name. So, I was concerned, and I was asking them, 'What happened? What happened?' And that's when they said someone got shot at the game."

No one reported hearing any shots fired while at the stadium or nearby. Investigators said the .22 caliber round may have come from south or southeast of the football stadium.

Authorities used the incident to remind the public about the dangers of firing guns into the air, saying a stray bullet can travel over a mile.

People who live in Winnie say they are surprised this happened and are hoping more caution will be taken.

"It's kind of scary that someone so reckless that's just going to shoot a gun in the air," says Winnie resident Sarah Jannise. "It's just, you don't do that.''

While injuries and fatalities from stray bullets are not common in rural areas of southeast Texas, a number of incidents have occurred in the Houston area over the past several years.

In September, a southeast Houston man was injured by a stray bullet while he slept in his home. Just a week before that incident, a 15-year-old girl was also hit by a stray bullet while she slept just two miles away.

No arrests were made in either case.