10-year-old boy accidentally shoots and kills younger brother with shotgun, sheriff says

HOUSTON – An 8-year-old boy was killed Monday after his 10-year-old brother accidentally shot him, according to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.

The shooting took place just before 3 p.m. at an apartment complex in the 5600 block of Timber Creek Place Drive in northwest Harris County.

The 10-year-old was handling or playing with a shotgun when it discharged and struck his brother, KSAT sister station KPRC reported.

A 13-year-old sibling was also in the apartment at the time and called 911.

Gonzalez told KPRC the boys were not enrolled in school at the time because the family recently moved to the area.

“These situations are preventable. Children should never have access to weapons. Anything could happen,” Gonzalez said. “We’ve talked in the past about the importance of safe storage, securing weapons, responsible gun ownership. This appears to be a tragic situation of what could happen when that doesn’t occur.”

Texas Department of Public Safety has resources for gun storage safety:

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