A 23-year-old man has been arrested after a teen was shot while getting a tattoo inside an Arkansas home, police said.
Fort Smith officers were called about 6:45 p.m. Wednesday to a local hospital, where they found 19-year-old Shaylee Pickett with a single gunshot wound, according to a news release.
Investigators interviewed the two men who brought her to the hospital, who originally told them that the shooting had occurred Martin Luther King Park, 1815 N. Greenwood Ave. Both eventually told police that Pickett was actually shot at a residence in the 3000 block of Hardie Avenue.
According to the release, the teen was getting the tattoo in a bedroom while Joel Ayala, 23, was handling a gun. The weapon reportedly discharged, and Pickett was hit in the arm, with the bullet continuing to her chest, authorities said. Witnesses told police the shooting was accidental.
Police said the 19-year-old underwent emergency surgery and was listed in stable but critical condition at the time of the release Thursday evening.
Ayala reportedly faces charges of first-degree battery, felon in possession of a firearm and parole violation. He was being held at the Sebastian County jail without bail Thursday.
Police said the investigation is ongoing and more arrests are expected.
