Teenage girl accidentally shot in Burke Co. on New Year's Eve

BURKE COUNTY, N.C. — Investigators are trying to determine if charges will be filed after a Burke County teenager was accidentally shot on New Year's Eve.

The shooting happened at a gathering in a field along Havenwood Drive in the Salem community, south of Morganton.

Witnesses told deputies that the 17-year-old girl was accidentally shot when Nathan Brewer, 22, and Devan Mojica, 21, fired a handgun in the direction of a bonfire shortly before midnight.

Channel 9's Dave Faherty spoke to one of the men on the phone. He told Faherty that he was not firing at the girl, but at the ground instead. He also said others were firing guns.

A friend drove the girl to a local hospital where she was then taken to Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte where she is recovering and in stable condition.

The sheriff said his office is investigating if this is a case of negligence.

"I think it's negligence on the part of anybody firing a firearm where there is 50-75 people standing around a fire," Burke County Sheriff Steve Whisenant said.

Faherty reached out to the district attorney and asked about a time frame on possible charges in the case, but the DA would only say it's an ongoing investigation and couldn't comment at this time.

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