Monroe County 12-year-old hospitalized after being shot by 7-year-old brother

The Monroe County Sheriff's Office says a 7-year-old boy accidentally shot his 12-year-old sister Saturday morning.

FORSYTH, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — A 7-year-old boy accidentally shot his 12-year-old sister with a .22-caliber handgun Saturday morning, according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies were dispatched to a home in a subdivision off Sanders Road around 11 a.m.

Sheriff’s office spokesperson Anna Watkins said in an email to 41NBC the boy mistakenly believed he was handling an air-soft gun.

The 12-year-old girl was taken to Beverly Knight Olson Children’s Hospital in Macon with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.

“The Sheriff’s Office would like to remind everyone to please make sure that all weapons are properly secured and kept out of the reach of children,” Watkins wrote.

Watkins didn’t reveal further details about the girls injuries or say if anyone had been charged.

“As of now, it is still in the investigation stage,” she wrote Saturday night in response to a follow-up inquiry.