http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/m...politan/3082257


A 4-year-old boy who shot his 2-year-old brother in the head this afternoon after an argument in their southwest Houston home didn't seem to understand what he had done, police said.

"He's wondering where his brother is, and when his brother's coming back," said Sgt. Cameron Grysen of the Houston Police Department Homicide Division. ADVERTISEMENT


The 2-year-old was in critical condition tonight at Ben Taub Hospital with a single gunshot wound to his temple. The incident happened about 4:20 p.m. at a home in the 5500 block of Gatewood near South Post Oak Boulevard.

Grysen said the boys had been arguing when the 2-year-old threw a toy at his brother. While the mother thought the boys had returned to their room, they walked back to her room, where the older boy grabbed a loaded gun from his mother's purse.

"The 4-year-old was angry ... he went and got the gun, put it to his brother's head and shot the gun," Grysen said.

The bullet entered one of his temples before exiting another side of his head. The sound of the gunshot alerted the mother to the incident. The woman had told police that she had the gun -- a .32-caliber automatic -- in her possession to protect her family because of recently reported burglaries in the neighborhood.

It is not clear if the boys' father was home at the time, but police said he did go to the hospital.

The mother could face criminal charges of making a weapon available to a child, Grysen said, adding that Child Protective Services would also investigate the family.

CPS spokeswoman Estella Olguin said her agency had never been called to the home prior to Saturday. A CPS caseworker was expected to decide whether to allow the older brother to stay with his parents or place him in custody of family or CPS.

"It all depends on a lot of things, like why mom had a gun in her purse in the first place, and if the gun was registered," Olguin said.

The mother told police that Saturday was the one day that she did not keep her gun secure.

"You got to be real careful with guns around children, and you can't be too careful keeping them secured," Grysen said.

Police are not sure whether the older boy understands the difference between real and toy guns.

"We really can't say with a 4-year-old," Grysen said. "It's very mind-boggling that this happened."

Residents of the modest neighborhood of single-family homes described the children and their parents as a happy family who often take walks with neighbors.

"All parents should be concerned about weapons laying in the home," said Yulanda Jordan, a neighbor. "It makes me feel bad about kids getting into weapons."

Edward Josey, 17, a neighbor who had played with the little boys on occasion, said they were like family.

"They shouldn't be playing with guns," he said, "They're too young."


// do you think it's fair that the mom is forced to serve time for her child's actions? who do you blame in this situation? what are your thoughts and opinions on this topic?

i dont think anyone should be allowed to have a gun in the first place, except goverment officials, used during work, etc. I think the mom should serve time, but theres not enough info to tell yet, if the gun was registered etc. Besides you should be more careful with guns and children. I blame the mother, the kid dint kow any better, hes only four, but think about when he gets older... how he must feel whens hes our ages knowing he (maybe) killed his brother.

^^

well someone needs to be held responsible, and the 4 year old certainly cant serve time.

people have the riht to bear arms, but that comes with the responsibility of keeping them safe, e.g. out of reach of kids

and i quote myself...



yea, i know about the right to bear arms, but i just dont think people should, i dont want to debate about that, its just a personal belief.

it's the mother's fault entirely. if you are going to have a gun in your home and have small children at the same time, you need to keep it in a safely guarded place where the children can't get it to it. come on, they're 4 and 2, if she just put it on a high shelf, they wouldn't be able to get to it. leaving it in your purse in a place where the kid can reach is just plain stupidity. if you're gonna be a parent, you have to take responsibility for your actions.

Who seriously needs a gun? If you want self-defense, get something that doesn't kill, whether it be dangerous to a child or not.

Pepper spray can kill. o_0.

I know it might sound bad, but I think that the mom should serve time..honestly, there are other things that you can carry for self-defense and to me it is ridiculous that someone can have a gun with them around their kids.

living in texas.. i dont think alot of stuff will happen because you cant put minors on death row now (supreme court ruling i believe) but i dont think they can really do anything for the mom.. probaly some community service or maybe they will take the kids away or a little jail time.

Too bad that would:
a) be illegal
b) go against everything we stand for as americans
c) cause massive amounts of crime
d) let the government do whatever it wants

Out of the three states with the lowest murder rates, two of them let you carry a concealed handgun without a permit. All three have "shall-issue" gun laws, and state governments that rule with respect for civil liberties and fiscal responsibility.

Law enforcement should have guns, and ultimately, it is up to the people to enforce laws such as the Constitution. As President Andrew Jackson said, "The Supreme Court has made its decision. Now let's see them enforce it."

Vermont has been ranked by the Morgan Quinto Press to be the safest state in the country for three years in a row. Yet they have almost no gun control laws. In fact, pretty much their only gun control law is that you can't have a firearm on school property--a crime punishable by a $1,000 fine. Even a convicted felon, once he has a served his time and probation, may freely carry a concealed firearm without a permit or government background check.

In fact, according to Vermont State Law:
Section 4008. Possession of firearms by children A child under the age of sixteen years shall not, without the consent of his parents or guardian, have in his possession or control a pistol or revolver constructed or designed for the use of gunpowder or other explosive substance with leaden ball or shot.

(i.e. a kid can have a gun with his parents consent, and seventeen year olds can have guns whenever--no questions asked).

Yet there have been exactly zero school shootings in that state's history.

^ that's so true :P
but that's pretty crazy, i wonder if the four year old thought the gun was a toy.
well, i think the mom HAS to serve time. i mean, it was her fault the gun was laying around, and like someone said up there, a four year old can't exactly serve time.

It is his mom's fault. Who's responsibility is to care and watch over them? Her.

I agree; the mother has the right to have a gun, but she needs to exercise that right with precaution and responsibility, especially near young children.

definately. he's a 4 year old boy, he shouldnt have access to a gun anyway

it`s the mom`s fault. cus a 4 year old doesnt know anything;

the govermant already has these rights as you say to 'do whatever it wants' they already carry around guns. And how could it cause crime w/o guns? I think a lot less people would get shot, if people at ANY shooting didnt have guns, no one would probably be dead. To me that doesnt matter if vermont has no gun control, thats stupid, not smart to me, i dont care if youve had no shootings yet, a lot of states havent.

Not necessarily. You are talking in generalizations.

Albert Einstein could talking in perfect grammatical sentences when he was 3.
Do we know the intelligence of this child? No we don't. So, we can't assess that this child 'knows nothing'.

The actions taken on may still be baffled in the mind of his, due to his youth.

I think that the mother may need to serve a couple months at most, and not be able to have a registered gun with her at anytime.

She deserves to take responsibility. I mean there is a thing on a gun called a... SAFETY. Who in the right mind would carry a live gun in their purse, can you imagine the increased chances of misfire? She deserves everything coming to her.

The mom definately needs to serve time. She obiviously wasn't looking after her kids.
What kind of mother has a gun stored in a place where her young child can reach it.

I can't believe that happened. Seriously I think the 4 year old is a crackhead.. oh yeah and not to mention the mom.

Sorry, but I am terribly amused at the use of 'live gun'.

I just have to point that out.

.....

Yesh, I do believe that the mother has to serve some time, and I am glad you brought up the saftey trigger.. I totally forgot about those... c.c

^ hahahhahahahha live gun. XP

where in the hell was the mother at!! this totally the mother's fault. had she been present this whole incendent could have been avoided...its a shame

aww man. shucks, dont the parents know well enough to hide it? jeeeeeeeesssssssssus. thats so sad

some adults think small children are too young enough to know where to find a gun. so they hide it in a spot where they know they can access it easy at all times, such as a nightstand or a dresser drawer. but what they dont understand, is children could be going through their stuff, while the parents are at work, and the babysitter is watching tv or something, find the gun and think its a toy and shoot it at another person, not knowing it is real, and loaded. its sad in my opinion, the way adults think children arent as smart as they really are

it was the 4 yr olds fsault even though the mother shouldn't have had her gun unsecure. i think that she should NOT be punished. but they should take her gun away from her.

Hearing abou tragedies such as this really, really pains my heart. Back when I was a kid, I had an older cousin get killed by his best friend accidentally. They were messing around and starting wrestling, all out of fun, and the gun went off and killed him. His best friend went home and committed suicide.

As for a kid doing such a thing knowing the outcome, it's crazy. There is so many people to blame in a case like this. At 4 years old, how do you know what a gun does unless you've been exposed to it? Where was this kid's mother?

Her fault, case closed.

I think it's fair. What would the woman be doing with a gun in her purse, anyway?

Yes, I totally agree
She should have guns in the house, where the kids can get to it...

"The mother told police that Saturday was the one day that she did not keep her gun secure."

That COMPLETELY changed my opinion on the situation. Out of all days, why would you leave the gun unsecure on a Saturday? What is her reasoning to that? To me, if she had any freakin common sense seh would've hid the gun in a vault or something of the sort....EVERYDAY. Not everyday except Saturday. (which is a complete bold faced lie in itself) The fact of the matter is --- if a toddler has the ability to access a gun (being that, of course, he is prolly only about 3 feet tall and still a baby)..then it's OBVIOUSLY the mother's fault. And since the child didn't even realize that he had done anything wrong, nor knew that he had actually killed his brother, it makes me sad to know that it couldve been prevented, and that the child didn't do it because he wanted his brother to die.

i don't think it is fair that the mom is being forced to serve time only because she didn't do anything but that is just how the law works. i blame the parents for what happened because they need to keep that kind of stuff, like guns and other weapons, out of reach from kids and keep an eye on their kids from time to time.

that is so sad. Mother's falt in more ways than one. I agree she was stupid to have it in his reach in the first place, actually to have it at all, for her reason (burglers), was pretty stupid.
But when i was that age my mom had me so paranoid..... i wouldn't even think of crossing the street by myself, drinking something that was underneath the cabinets, talking to a stranger, or especailly messing with a gun. What did this lady teach her son, if anything?

I always stress the fact we should not be allowed to have guns as citizens anyway, but at least it should have been locked up, the trigger should have been locked, and definitely not in her purse....was she thinking about using it "just in case?"

If she was that paranoid to have a gun in her purse, then she should been more paronoid to have a gun in her home with young children around. She claims she wanted it to protect her family? Well it doesn't seem to be working. She should go to jail and learn some common sense!

If you want to be safe from burglers.... get a damn alarm system!

wow . thats just sadd. i believe it was the moms fault. she should of done her job of being a good parent.

I think she meant that that particular Saturday was the one day she did not keep her gun secure. That is the only thing that makes sense. Murphy's Law would dictate that the one day she forgot to secure her gun would be the day her kid would get hold of it.

Really though, she should have kept it secure 24/7. My dad keeps his gun collection locked up in a combination lock safe, far from easy access. I feel sorry for the woman, I mean, it is her fault that her son was shot, but someone has to pay, and it will be her.

The mother should be held responsible. The gun shouldn't be in the kids hand anyways.

I say it's the mothers fault.

im not really sure who is to be blamed for.
i think they all should get punished because they all have there wrongs in the situation.

the mom shouldnt have, have a gun anyways even if it was to protect the family. and the little 4 year old he should have been more careful; but then he is only four, he might have thought it was a play gun.

I blame the mother for not watching and caring for the children and leaving her purse there with a GUN in it.

I do think it's fair that the child's mom serves time. I do believe that people make mistakes (meaning the mother) and didn't know that they had screwed up until after the incodent. Obviously she hadn't thought about the gun being in her purse. But she should have been smart and mature enough to know that kids can reach just about anything. She should have known to keep it safe in a hidden place without the gun loaded (preferably with a lock).

I don't think the boy should get in trouble because he had no clue what he was doing. He's four. Four year olds can't tell their ass from their own two feet, let alone a gun from anything else. I'm surprised he knew how to use it, though. But I don't think the blame should be on him at such a young age.

I do think the boy's father should keep custody and the mother should regain custody when she gets out. Especially because it was a loving family, I'm sure she would easily learn from this mistake and would always be more careful in the future. She didn't do this on purpose and a good mother would learn very fast.