A Utah toddler playing at his daycare got struck in the head by a bullet, police say

• Police in Utah are investigating how a 2-year-old boy was struck in the head with a bullet at daycare.
• Authorities said they've identified a person of interest who was shooting birds nearby.

A 2-year-old Utah boy was hospitalized this week after being struck in the head by a stray bullet while he was playing with his friends in daycare, according to police.

The Spanish Fork Police Department said in a statement that the toddler is "in stable condition and improving," and that investigators have identified a "person of interest" suspected of firing the bullet.

Police said an adult male is cooperating with investigators, and told them he was shooting birds with a .22 caliber air rifle just west of the daycare. The man has not been identified because no charges have been filed yet.

The incident occurred on May 22 when daycare staff noticed that one of the children — who was playing outside in a fenced portion of the daycare — "appeared to stumble and was seen bleeding from the face," according to the police statement.

The daycare notified the child's parents, who brought the boy to the hospital. Doctors then took scans and realized the child "had a small caliber bullet lodged in its head."

"It appears this was a tragic accident," police said. "Open fields are directly west of the daycare and it is believed the round may have come from that area."

One of the daycare owners told CNN affiliate KSLTV he was "absolutely surprised" and "dumbfounded" over the incident, adding that staff initially had no idea the boy's injury had been caused by a stray bullet.

Mugleston later pointed out a tiny hole in the daycare's fence that was caused by the bullet.

"We thought he just had tripped and hit his head," Lane Mugleston told KSLTV.

Police told the news station that doctors have decided to leave the bullet inside the toddler's head out of fear they'll cause more damage by surgically removing it, but that they believe the child will make a full recovery.