Girl Injured After Firing Flare Gun On School Bus

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FORT PIERCE, Fla. -- A Fort Pierce girl is recovering from a badly burned hand after authorities say she fired a flare gun on a school bus.

The 7-year-old tells police she found the flare gun in the trash outside her apartment, put it in her backpack and boarded the bus for Morningside Elementary School.

Authorities say she pulled the device out of her bag, loaded it and pointed it at her left hand.

She was treated at a local hospital and released.

No other students were injured, but fragments struck and destroyed a student's cellular phone and damaged a canvas bag.

A police spokeswoman says the girl will be placed in the department's juvenile diversion program for first offenders who have committed misdemeanors.

A spokeswoman for the Saint Lucie County School District, says the district will investigate the incident before deciding whether any disciplinary action will be taken.

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