DeKalb County family says stray bullet narrowly missed their 13-year-old daughter

Family says stray bullet narrowly missed their 13-year-old girl

A DeKalb County family says their 13-year-old daughter is lucky to be alive after a bullet from a neighbor’s firearm blasted through her bedroom wall over the weekend.

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - A DeKalb County family says their 13-year-old daughter is lucky to be alive after a bullet from a neighbor’s firearm blasted through her bedroom wall over the weekend. The family believes the neighbor — who they say is a DeKalb County police officer — accidentally fired the gun while cleaning it.

What we know:

The incident happened Sunday and Stone Mountain police confirm they are investigating.

Kenneth Colbert and Zorita Clark say the close call could have ended in tragedy.

"It’s just by the grace of God she wasn’t hit. By the grace of God," Colbert said.

The family says everything started with an unexpected knock from their neighbor.

"She told me to go check on everyone in the house, which I was blown away by," Colbert said. "She says, ‘Please just go check on everyone.’"

When Colbert checked on his daughter, she told him she saw smoke coming from the wall — likely plaster and dust thrown into the air by the bullet.

Colbert says what he discovered next left him shaken.

What they're saying:

"I heard a loud pop and a loud bang," he said. "We pulled her bed from the wall and that’s when we discovered a bullet hole. It hit her bed frame, went inside her mattress and out the pillow. This is the entry, and this is the exit out of the pillow."

The bullet remained lodged in the wall. 

Zorita Clark says the situation is even more alarming because the neighbor is a trained law enforcement officer.

"You’re a trained professional," Clark said. "You should know when your gun is loaded, not loaded, when to clean it." 

Colbert says he has already re-arranged the bedroom because his daughter is now afraid to sleep there. He walked FOX 5 through the path the bullet traveled.

"It hit the bed frame, went through the mattress, pillow, and sheets — and then it lodged right here," he said. "It’s still in there."

When FOX 5 attempted to speak with the neighbor, no one answered the door.

What's next:

The family says the incident should come with consequences.

"You cannot just clean a gun without the proper procedures," Colbert said.

"My daughter could have been fatally injured," Clark added. "I could be talking to you about something totally different, but by the grace of God she was protected and covered."

Stone Mountain Police are leading the investigation. FOX 5 also reached out to DeKalb County Police who confirmed internal affairs are investigating. 

The family says that if the situation were reversed, they believe they would be facing charges — and they want to see the same level of accountability in this case.