MUSKEGON HEIGHTS, MI - A young woman died after an apparent accidental shooting in a home in Muskegon Heights Monday afternoon.

The woman died at Mercy Health Hackley Campus after being shot with a handgun at a home in the 2500 block of Elwood Street about 1:50 p.m. Aug. 20, said Muskegon Heights Police Chief Joseph E. Thomas Jr. The alleged shooter was in custody, Thomas said.

Thomas said the victim was a young woman between the ages of 14 and 20 whose family is from Muskegon Heights.

It's believed there was an attempt to throw off first-responders because a caller to central dispatch reported the incident as a baby not breathing, Thomas said. When firefighters arrived, they didn't find a baby, but did find the young woman suffering from a gunshot wound, he said.

"The person who called it in tried to cover it up," Thomas said. "We went from a baby not breathing to this."

There also was a vocal crowd forming, which led to assistance at the scene from Norton Shores and Muskegon police departments and the Michigan State Police.

The victim was transported to Hackley, where she was pronounced dead at 2:27 p.m., Thomas said.

It appeared the victim and the shooter were alone in the house at the time of the shooting, he said. The shooting appeared to be accidental, he said.