By The Associated Press

HAMMOND — A 2-year-old girl was shot in the head and critically wounded in northwestern Indiana when gunshots erupted as the child was in a car with her mother, police said.

Hammond police called to the scene about 9:30 p.m. Wednesday found the child in the car with her mother. The girl was airlifted to a Chicago hospital, and her mother, while not injured, was taken to a local hospital, police said.

Hammond police Lt. Steve Kellogg said the girl was in critical condition as of 11 p.m. Wednesday, The (Northwest Indiana) Times reported.

The child was struck by a bullet fired from an unknown location in the city about 20 miles (32 kilometers) southeast of Chicago, police said.

A helicopter searched Wednesday night for the suspected shooter, who apparently fled into a wooded area, said Lake County Sheriff Oscar Martinez. Police dogs also scoured the area as the FBI was on scene assisting the Hammond police, WLS-TV reported.

Police said in a statement late Wednesday that police detectives remained “on scene determining the nature of the shooting.”