SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- The shooting of a 14-year-old on Ballantyne Road appears to be accidental, though the shooting is still under investigation, according to Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick.

Fitzpatrick declined to elaborate on why he believes the shooting to be accidental, deferring to the Syracuse Police Department. The police department also declined comment beyond a statement it released earlier Tuesday.

The shooting, which was reported at 1:32 p.m. at 921 Ballantyne Road on Tuesday, left the 14-year-old girl in critical condition, police said. According to initial scanner reports, the girl was shot in the head. The girl suffered a severe head injury, Fitzpatrick said. A police release says the girl was shot in the “upper part of her body.”

In the initial aftermath of the shooting, several adults and children were taken out of the house at 921 Ballantyne Road. Neighbors gathered outside the police tape, which blocked off nearly the entire 900 block of Ballantyne Road.

Buckner said the girl was shot inside of the home but that he didn’t know how many people were inside the house when the shooting happened.

Several officers and detectives appeared to follow a set of footprints in the snow from the back of the house at 921 Ballantyne Road behind several houses on Loomis Avenue while they investigated.

Police ask that anyone with information call the Syracuse Police Department at 315-442-5222. All calls are kept confidential. Anonymous information can also be submitted using the SPD Tips app.

A woman stands in the doorway at 921 Ballantyne Rd. in Syracuse, the scene of a shooting Tuesday afternoon, January 22, 2019, Michael Greenlar | mgreenlar@syracuse.com Michael Greenlar | mgreenlar@syracuse.com