Boy, 5, and sister, 14, hit by stray bullets while trick-or-treating in Olney

A 5-year-old boy was shot in a leg and his 14-year-old sister was grazed by a bullet while they were out trick-or-treating Wednesday evening in the city's Olney section, police said.

The shooting occurred about 6:20 p.m. in the 5700 block of Hope Street and the children appeared to be the be the victims of stray gunfire from a shootout that erupted right next to them, said Police Chief Inspector Scott Small.

The boy was shot in the right leg and the girl was grazed in the left leg. Police took both to Einstein Medical Center, where they were listed in stable condition. Their mother, who was with them when the mayhem broke out, was not injured, Small said.

Police found five spent shell casings on the sidewalk just inches away from a dropped plastic pumpkin container and spilled candy, Small said. Another shell casing was found across the street.

One bullet pierced the second-floor bedroom window of a house on Grange, Small said. No one was hurt inside. Several other bullets struck a parked car.

Small said he did not know how many children may have been on that block at the time of the shooting, but residents were sitting on their porches enjoying the mild evening temperatures when the bullets started flying.

One of the male shooters fled north on Hope and the other west on Grange Avenue, Small said. Police were checking several surveillance cameras in the area to see if the perpetrators were caught on video.