A 13-year-old boy was seriously injured Tuesday night after he was struck in the eye during a drive-by shooting with a pellet gun, officials said.
Tyler Bickford was walking home with a group of friends around 7 p.m. Tuesday along Enterprise Road, near Deltona Middle School.
The teen told authorities that he saw a white, four-door SUV drive past them shooting off -- what they said -- sounded like an automatic weapon. What scared the group the most, they said, was that the SUV turned around and headed back toward them.
The group scattered, but Bickford was shot.
Bickford was struck just below the eye, said his grandfather, Phil Douthit.
Douthit said his grandson was "bleeding heavily" when he was taken to the hospital. Bickford was later transferred to Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children.
Bickford underwent surgery, and doctors were able to remove a pellet.
"But they're treating him now for lead poisoning," Douthit said.
The teen and his friends told deputies they were able to see the people inside that car: three women and one man with white T-shirts over their faces.
Volusia County Sheriff's Office deputies are now on the search for the suspects.
Anyone with information on this case is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 888-244-TIPS (8477).