HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — A boy was shot and killed by his older brother on Monday at an apartment complex in west Harris County, according to Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.
It happened at the Bear Creek Crossing apartments, which are near Highway 6 and West Little York Road, Gonzalez said.
According to Gonzalez, a 10-year-old boy was playing with a shotgun in the apartment's only bedroom when it went off and struck his 8-year-old brother in the upper torso.
The boy was pronounced dead at the scene.
Gonzalez said a 13-year-old brother was also at the apartment at the time of the shooting but he wasn't injured. Gonzalez said the teen called 911.
Family members started showing up after hearing what happened.
Gonzalez said all three siblings were alone at the apartment and weren't currently in school. He said the family had recently moved there and wasn't sure if that was the reason they weren't in school.
Gonzalez said he's not sure who owned the gun, but said he believes these kinds of shootings are preventable.
"Tragic situation out here this afternoon at this apartment complex," Gonzalez said. "We've talked in the past about the importance of safe storage of securing weapons ... responsible gun ownership. This appears to be a tragic situation of what could happen when that doesn't occur. Our condolences go out to the family."
Gonzalez said crime scene investigators were working to find out what actually happened inside the apartment and all of the information he provided at the scene was "preliminary."
Here's the update Gonzalez provided at the scene: