CHOCOWINITY — No shooter has been identified in the shooting of 5-year-old child early this week in Chocowinity.

The child suffered a single gunshot wound to the groin area and was treated first at Vidant Beaufort Hospital, then Vidant Medical Center, and was released from the hospital mid-week.

On Dec. 15 at about 2 p.m., Beaufort County Emergency Communications received a 911 call about a young child shot while inside a home located at 12100 N.C. Highway 33 East, in Chocowinity.

The person originally reporting the shooting said someone was shooting through the woods, leading deputies to believe the child may have been struck by a stray bullet from a hunter’s rifle, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.

Members of the Blount’s Creek Fire Department, Chocowinity EMS, Beaufort County EMS responded to the scene, and Sheriff’s Office investigators and North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission officers began an inquiry into the shooting.

At the scene, investigators learned two bullets struck the back, southern side of the home, penetrating the outside wall. One struck the child, while another bullet was found lying on the carpet a few feet from where the child was standing when she was hit, stated a sheriff’s office press release. The bullet recovered from the floor was weighed, measured and found to be consistent in size and weight with that of a small 22 caliber.

The press release states that about 50 minutes after the call, deputies located two men hunting on Weyerhaeuser land about 570 yards southeast of the home, who were detained for questioning. The sheriff’s office investigators said the men were cooperative and after being questioned by investigators and Wildlife officers, consented to a search of their persons and vehicle. They were found in possession of high-powered rifles, which fire a much larger bullet than the one found at the scene. They were also found to be in compliance with all Wildlife Regulations and released. There were no other hunters located in the area, the release stated.

Since the shooting, investigators have conducted multiple interviews, but none of the interviews or evidence collected at the scene have led them to the identity of the shooter, according to Lt. Jim Vanlandingham, head of the sheriff’s office Criminal Investigations Unit.

The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office asks anyone with any information about the incident to call the Criminal Investigations Unit at 252-946-7111 or Beaufort County Crime Stoppers at 252-974-6400.