SAN ANTONIO – A 9-year-old boy was grazed in the neck by a bullet after another child got access to a gun at a West Side townhome, according to the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office.
The incident happened just before 4 p.m. Sunday in the 1200 block of W Loop 1604 North.
Deputies were initially called for a shooting involving two children. When they arrived, they found the 9-year-old had been grazed by a bullet in his neck.
The 9-year-old was taken to the hospital in stable condition. His injuries are not life-threatening, according to BCSO.
Deputies said the boy’s neighbor, an 11-year-old boy, first found the gun in his home.
The 11-year-old went to the younger child’s house to visit and took the weapon with him. They started to play with the gun and it discharged, BCSO said.
Authorities are still working to learn who shot the gun. The firearm was loaded and not secured before the children got access, BCSO said.
The children are not related. Deputies said it’s likely whoever allowed the children access to the gun will be facing charges.
“This is a prime example why we can’t make weapons accessible to children, why we have to keep them locked and secured at all times,” a sergeant with BCSO said. “There’s a great possibility that somebody is going to be facing charges if we find out who made the gun accessible to the children.”