A Fort Worth boy is recovering in the hospital after he was shot inside a home on Tuesday, in what police say happened after he somehow got access to a gun stored in a safe.
Officers arrived to find the child with a gunshot wound to the lower torso, and a 911 caller told dispatchers the boy was “turning blue and pale,” according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The child was rushed to a hospital, where he was described as stable later that night.
Fort Worth police opened a shooting investigation and brought in specialized detectives to sort out how a firearm that was reportedly kept in a gun safe became accessible to a child. Gun-violence detectives were among those notified, and authorities have not said whether anyone will face charges.
Potential legal consequences under Texas law
Under Texas law, it can be a crime to make a firearm accessible to a child. A person who, with criminal negligence, fails to secure a “readily dischargeable” firearm can face penalties ranging from a Class C misdemeanor to a Class A misdemeanor if the child causes serious injury, according to Texas Penal Code §46.13. The statute also spells out limited defenses and special arrest rules for certain family members, which can influence how law enforcement and prosecutors handle a case like this.
Local medical officials urge safe storage
Doctors at the Fort Worth hospital treating the boy have been using the moment to hammer home a familiar message: where and how you store a firearm matters. Hiding a gun under a mattress, in the closet, or on a high shelf is not safe storage, Eric Gonzalez of Cook Children’s said…