KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A 2-year-old girl is fighting for her life after being hit in the head by a bullet outside her home in Johnson County last week.
As of Friday afternoon, Ariel Salaices is in critical condition at East Tennessee Children's Hospital.
"She's made quite a bit of progress," Christina Salaices, Ariel's mother, said.
Salaices said the bullet is still in Ariel's head. Doctors removed part of Ariel's skull and are trying to keep swelling down.
"If she loses too much oxygen, which she may have... we don't know, then there's probably no hope for her," Salaices said. "Which breaks my heart because she's a good baby girl."
The Johnson County Sheriff's Office is still investigating, Salaices said. 10News called the sheriff on Friday but did not hear back.
Salaices says she was at work when she got the call about Ariel.
According to the police report, Salaices' husband told police he was at the house and the kids were outside. The report states he told police he heard a loud sound, and then his son screaming for him.
In the report, he told police he found Ariel bleeding from the head and rushed her to emergency services. Ariel was then flown out.
"I gave her a kiss goodbye because I was sure that was the last time I was going to see her alive," Salaices said. "And they flew her here and when I got here they gave me hope, they gave me hope that there's a chance for my little girl. Now, we all are aware of what could possibly happen and we know there's a chance that she may not come out of this. But they're giving her a chance and that's all I can ask for."
Salaices is hoping and praying that her daughter will recover, and she knows Ariel may not be the same if she does. She's taking it day by day and remembering all the good memories. She wants to thank everyone for all the support they've given her this week.
According to the investigation report, officers took a gun from the home into evidence. The report states police found the bullets of the gun intact and not fired. The report says a BB gun was also taken into evidence.