In Loudoun County, not so far from where I grew up, a Sheriff’s deputy accidentally shot his own daughter, who was sneaking back home after being out late. USA Today covers the details of the shooting:

A Virginia sheriff’s deputy mistook his 16-year-old daughter for an intruder early Tuesday and shot her as she sneaked back into their home, authorities say.

After alerting 911, the deputy then crashed his car while racing her to the hospital, and emergency responders finished transporting her for treatment at Winchester Medical Center, the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office told WHAG-TV.

The teen was shot once in her torso and was listed in stable condition Thursday. She suffered no additional injuries when her father, Loudoun County Sheriff’s Deputy Easton McDonald, hit a barricade.

The shooting happened about 3:30 a.m. Tuesday while McDonald, a 13-year veteran, was getting ready for work, said Frederick County Sheriff’s Capt. Donnie Lang. The home’s alarm system indicated a door of the attached garage had been opened, and McDonald grabbed his personal handgun to investigate.

Seeing a dark figure approaching him, he fired.

“Then he hears her voice and recognizes that it’s his daughter,” Lang told The Washington Post.

A flashlight, either firearm-mounted or handheld, could have prevented this tragedy. Stay safe, and be sure of your targets, everybody.

H/T, Andrew of Vuurwapen Blog.