Stormy weather prevented an airlift, prompting police agencies to clear an emergency route toward an Atlanta-area trauma center.
MONROE, Ga. — Police officers and paramedics carried out an urgent ground transport across metro Atlanta after a 4-year-old girl was found with multiple gunshot wounds inside a Monroe apartment, authorities said.
The girl remained hospitalized in critical condition after the shooting late Thursday, July 23. Police arrested her mother, 31-year-old Ashley Brown, and accused her of shooting the child. Investigators had not publicly identified a motive or explained what happened before officers reached the home.
Monroe police were sent to the 700 block of Ridge Road at about 9:44 p.m. after receiving a call initially described as a report of unknown trouble. When officers knocked, a 12-year-old girl answered the door and told them that her younger sister was bleeding, according to police accounts provided to local news organizations.
Officers entered the apartment and found the wounded child with her mother. A firearm was lying on the floor nearby, police said. The officers took the girl from the room, began emergency care and carried her outside to Walton County emergency medical workers.
Paramedics first took the girl to Piedmont Walton Hospital in Monroe. Medical workers intended to transfer her by helicopter to a Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta trauma center, but storms prevented the aircraft from making the trip, according to the police chief.
Authorities then organized an emergency ambulance escort toward metro Atlanta. Monroe officers accompanied the ambulance while dispatchers contacted agencies along the route. Police in Gwinnett and DeKalb counties helped clear traffic so the ambulance could reach the hospital more quickly.
The girl was in very critical condition when she arrived, the police chief said. By Friday morning, she was described as stable but still critically ill in intensive care. Authorities had not announced a later update on her condition as of Sunday.
The response also affected the officers and emergency workers who encountered the injured child, police said. The chief said the case weighed heavily on public safety workers because of the girl’s age and the severity of her injuries. A neighbor reported seeing an officer carry the child toward the waiting ambulance.
Police charged Brown with aggravated assault, aggravated battery, two counts of first-degree cruelty to children, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and discharging a firearm within 300 feet of a roadway. She was being held in the Walton County Jail. The allegations have not been proven in court.
Detectives continued investigating the circumstances surrounding the shooting. Authorities had not released information about a possible motive, what Brown may have told investigators or whether the firearm had been legally obtained.
The child’s identity was not released. Police asked anyone with information about the case to contact the Monroe Police Department as the investigation continued.
Author note: Last updated July 26, 2026.