SAN TAN VALLEY, Ariz. — The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office is investigating after a 12-year-old was hit by a bullet on the football field at his school.
Kevin Valenzuela told 12 News that at first, he thought he’d been hit by a baseball.
“I was laying down crying with my arm over my head,” he said.
After hours in the hospital and multiple X-rays, doctors determined it was a .22-caliber bullet, and they said it is best to leave it in place.
“They would rather leave it in because if they take it out, it would cause more damage to my muscle,” Kevin said.
With his siblings by his side, Kevin stayed calm while undergoing treatments for the pain. Meanwhile, his mother Carmen said once they realized he’d been shot, they alerted campus staff at Champion Schools.
“I let them know that he was actually—that the doctor said there was a .22-caliber bullet in his leg. They didn't do anything,” she said.
There is nothing to indicate Kevin or anyone at the school was targeted.
But Kevin’s mom is concerned about the safety of the students and wants to find out where the bullet came from.
“There was plenty of kids and, you know, somebody sees something, they could've seen something. And we’re just letting it go on longer and longer and longer without nobody knowing,” she said.
12 News reached out to both Champion Schools and PCSO for details. The sheriff's office said detectives are working with Kevin and the family during the ongoing investigation.