LUBBOCK, Texas– Lubbock Police said an 11-year-old child suffered “serious injuries” in an accidental shooting Tuesday night in the 1500 block of 33rd Street.
The officer who arrived on scene found the victim “laying on the couch with what appeared to be a gunshot wound to the central abdomen area,” according to a police report.
The report states the 8-year-old believed the handgun was a toy and they did not mean to shoot the victim. The child told the officer on scene that they dropped the handgun in front of the house, but officers were not able to locate the pistol.
The 11-year-old was taken by EMS to the hospital with serious injuries, and as of Wednesday morning, the child was in stable condition, said police.
Police stated in the report that the suspect left the handgun in a place to which the suspect “should have known that a child could gain access” and “the child who discharged the firearm caused serious bodily injury.”
Police said the incident remains accidental, and the case remains under investigation by the Lubbock Police Department Crimes Against Children Unit.
