Bullet fired into 7-year-old girl's bedroom in Herndon

HERNDON, Va. - Police in Fairfax County are investigating a bullet that was fired into a child's bedroom nearly missing her.

The bullet entered through a window at the side of a home in the 2100 block of Monaghan Drive in Herndon at around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday. A 7-year-old girl was lying in bed when it happened.

"First, I thought it was like fireworks," said the girl. "I was really, really scared."

Her mother said it sounded like there were about seven shots fired.

"She was on the bed, but when we heard, she said, 'Mommy, what is that?' And I told her maybe it was fireworks, and when she went close to the window, we heard a lot of noise on the bed and I was thinking she broke something," Janet Sandoval described.

The second grader had a tiny cut on her arm from the glass, but she was not injured otherwise. When police arrived, they found the bullet lodged in her mattress.

The family is terrified and said they will likely move from their home. They moved around furniture Tuesday night to make sure their little girl was safe to sleep.

"We put the top of the bed on the floor and then we slept there," said the young girl.

The family's end unit rowhouse backs up to a small field. Despite the no trespassing signs, people still sometimes gather there after dark.

Fairfax County police are examining the bullet and want to find the person who fired the shot. They are not sure whether it was intentional or an accident.

Many people in the neighborhood are concerned.

"Thank God she didn't get hurt," said neighbor Johnny Sicienski. "Thank God it didn't hit her. It's terrible, it's frightening. You never know. It could have come through any other person's window."

Investigators have been going door to door trying to find out if anyone has any information about who may have fired the shot. They have also put out an alert on a community based social media website called Nextdoor.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact Crime Solvers electronically by visiting www.fairfaxcrimesolvers.org or text-a-tip by texting "TIP187" plus your message to CRIMES(274637)** or by calling 1-866-411-TIPS(8477), or call Fairfax County Police at 703-691-2131.