Young woman hit by stray bullet in New Carlisle

NEW CARLISLE, Ind - Neighbors are concerned after a 25-year-old woman was hit by a stray bullet during a graduation party in New Carlisle on Saturday.

St. Joseph County Police confirmed the incident happened around 4 p.m. on Barn Owl Court.

The victim, whose name has not been released, felt a sudden impact, realizing that something had torn through her clothing and broken her skin.

Neighbor Kermit Walsh, who has military experience, says that if people are practice shooting in the area, they need be more careful.

“It’s a shame people that shoot are not more mindful of the fact that these bullets, especially if it is an AR-type gun, are capable of traveling a mile and do a lot of damage and they should not be shooting towards the subdivision,” said Walsh. “There are enough farmland around cornfields, there’s enough banks that they can shoot into.”

The victim didn't even realize she was shot until she left New Carlisle and returned home to Ohio.

A doctor discovered the bullet still lodged in her hip while cleaning the infected wound.

Neighbors say it never should have happened here where kids and families are outside playing all the time.

“There's no excuse for a shooting in a subdivision like this,” said Walsh.

County police were notified of the incident on May 10th and while they've been interviewing witnesses and neighbors, they have no leads at this time.