Father In Custody After Accidently Shooting Daughter In Federal Heights

FEDERAL HEIGHTS, Colo. (CBS4) - A 6-year-old girl is recovering after being shot in the leg by her father.

The incident happened late Friday night in the 2000 block of 91st Street in Federal Heights. Right now it is being investigated as an accident, but a lot of questions surround the incident.

Neighbors told CBS4 there was a loud party going on at the time with adults and children outside at 11 p.m. Police are investigating after the father chose not to take his daughter, suffering from a gunshot wound, to the hospital.

"I heard a shot, I thought it was a fire cracker. I heard a child screaming," a neighbor said. "She was hunched over and squirming … kicking legs and screaming."

"When the officers arrived on scene the victim was not there. She had been driven away by her father," Detective Dean Groff with Federal Heights police said.

Julian Montoya, 28, told police he was looking at a 9mm handgun when it accidentally went off.

"He drove her to the hospital and decided that her injuries were not sufficient to take her into the hospital, so he took her home," Groff said.

Police say the 6-year-old's mother drove the injured child back to the home where she was shot. Two hours passed before the girl was treated for the gunshot wound to her leg and was transferred to The Children's Hospital.

"There is still a fragment in her leg and they currently are not anticipating during surgery," Groff said.

Detectives are piecing together what happened and have not determined whether alcohol or drugs were involved.

"I'm disappointed to see a fellow father to act so poorly and conduct themselves so poorly with a fire arm around a child," Groff said.

Montoya is in custody and faces charges of felony child abuse and assault in the second degree with a deadly weapon resulting in serious injury.