9-year-old boy killed while playing with gun in Texas apartment
HOUSTON, Texas -- Police say a young boy is dead after he was accidentally shot by his cousin while playing with a gun in a Texas apartment.
The shooting happened at the Montebella Apartments in the 4000 block of West 34th Street in Houston, where police said the two 9-year-olds were toying around with the weapon when it went off.
The shooting took place just after 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
Police rushed to the apartment complex and found the boy with a gunshot wound to his chest or upper arm area. He was taken to Memorial Hermann Greater Heights Hospital, where he died from his injuries.
"There was some kind of interaction where they had a gun," Houston police Lieutenant Larry Crowson said. "It doesn't appear intentional. It appears to be a tragic accident."
Investigators are trying to figure out who owns the gun and how the boy's cousin got his hands on the weapon.
The Harris County District Attorney's office will decide whether an adult should be charged.
Children under the age of 10 cannot be held criminally responsible, police said.
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