KEY POINTS:
The parents of a 6-year-old girl shot by her brother were last night facing questions over how the accident happened.
Police have refused to rule out laying charges in the case, which has left Tayla Heron Scott fighting for her life in Auckland's Starship Hospital.
Last night doctors said Tayla's condition remained critical but she had stabilised after surgeons operated on her heart.
She was rushed to hospital on Friday after an air rifle pellet fired by her brother Sean entered her chest and scraped her heart.
As surgeons fought to save her life, police confirmed that an investigation was under way. Inspector Chris Scahill said he could not comment on whether nine-year-old Sean had been supervised by an adult, or if charges would be laid.
"We're in the investigative stage. We can't answer any of those questions until it's completed, any answer would be purely speculative," Scahill said.
"Mum's in hospital with her daughter at the moment, that's her priority and fair enough. We'll be interviewing key people."
Under the New Zealand Arms Code, anyone younger than 16, or those under 18 who do not have a firearms licence, are not allowed to possess an airgun and can use one only under direct supervision of a licence holder or someone older than 18.
John Cowat, chairman of the Council of Licensed Firearm Owners, said parents needed to lock all airguns up and make sure there was no way they could be used by anyone under 18.
"Who blames who, afterwards? Those children should not have had access to the gun, wherever or however it was stored."
He said the case highlighted how dangerous modern air rifles had become. "People don't know, they don't realise... They are getting more and more dangerous as the years go by. There's definitely a problem in relation to the perception of air guns being not dangerous. They certainly are."
Maree Scott told the New Zealand Herald her son had been firing the air rifle at trees around 11am. She believed the pellet that hit Tayla had ricocheted off a rock.
Nine-year-old Sean ran to a neighbour to get help, while Tayla made her way inside and was found by her mother on the kitchen floor, unconscious and in shock.
Scott called an ambulance but the family's home in Waikare, near Kawakawa, Northland, was cut off because a bridge was washed out by flooding.
Rescue helicopters flew to the house after Maree called for an ambulance. Tayla was taken to Whangarei Hospital and then flown to Auckland for surgery.
Her family, including mother Maree, father Greg and grandparents John and Jocelyn were all at the hospital yesterday.
Barbara English, who has known Tayla since she was 18 months old, was yesterday close to tears as she described Tayla as a beautiful little girl. "She comes over and we bake, we make cookies - chocolate chip cookies are her favourite. We do drawing and colouring too, she always makes a card for her mum or grandfather."
Tayla and big brother Sean were very close, said English. "Sean will do anything for Tayla, he protects her. Even though he's a little bit older, they're always together... She calls the shots, though." The little girl used to "power up" the steep hill to her house in her nappies when she was a toddler, English said. "She's a strong little girl. If anyone can pull through something like this, Tayla can."
