SAN ANTONIO – A 24-year-old man who San Antonio police said lied about a shooting that left a 4-year-old girl critically wounded has been arrested.
Lazarus Gutierrez was taken into custody Tuesday morning on charges of tampering with evidence, and being a felon in possession of a weapon, police spokesman Officer Doug Greene said.
Gutierrez could face more charges, Greene said.
Greene said officers who responded to a call shortly after 12 a.m. Tuesday found the girl at a home in the 500 block of Park Grove Drive suffering from a gunshot wound in her chest.
"The information that we were given is that (Gutierrez) was walking with the victim when some unknown person fired a shot from an unknown vehicle," Greene said.
But investigators quickly found evidence at the scene that conflicted with the drive-by shooting story.
Greene said there was a trail of blood leading from the home and investigators determined the shooting happened inside the home.
Investigators spent several hours processing the scene and questioning Gutierrez before they determined the actual events, Greene said.
"He confessed that he was being untruthful, that the victim had located a handgun that he had hidden inside a couch," Greene said. "He was in another room. He heard a gunshot and found the victim with a gunshot wound to the chest."
Police said they believe the child accidentally shot herself.
She was taken to a hospital, where she underwent surgery. At last check, she was listed in critical condition.
Greene said police are still investigating whether anyone else was inside the home at the time of the shooting.