The shooting occurred just before 1 p.m. Friday in the 7400 block of Betanna Drive. Deputies from the Harris County Precinct 5 Constable’s Office who arrived at the scene told reporters the child had apparently found the gun in a purse that was up on a shelf, according to Fox News.
Sonora Storm, a neighbor said, “I’m thinking how horrible it is for a child that young to have access to a gun. You don’t want to blame the parents, by any means, but if I had a 3-year-old child in the house, there wouldn’t be a gun.”
The boy’s mother and another sibling were the only others in the residence at the time of the accident. The mother was in another part of the house, and when she heard the gunshot, she ran into the room where the youngster was and found the three-year-old with a gunshot to the jaw.
The boy was flown by medical helicopter to Memorial Hermann Hospital where he later died from his wound. Several residents of the hearthstone subdivision where the incident occurred commented that if was not a normal thing to see yellow police tape in the neighborhood. One neighbor said the family has recently moved into the house. Friday night, neighbors started placing stuffed animals and candles in front of the house.
Las Vegas child accidentally shot on Friday
In a similar incident, a two to three-year-old child was shot in the leg near Cheyenne Avenue and Nellis Boulevard in Las Vegas, Nevada, Friday night. Police called to the scene said it appeared to be an accident that started around 8:03 p.m. in the 3400 block of Algiers Drive.
The boy was taken to University Medical Center last night and is expected to survive. It really wasn’t clear to authorities who had fired the weapon, but the Las Vegas police and Child Protective Services are still investigating, according to The Las Vegas Review-Journal.