10-Year-Old Shoots 13-Year-Old Boy In The Face At Family Cookout

A 13-year-old boy was left injured after he and a 10-year-old relative got their hands on a gun and began playing inside a bedroom Sunday. The teenager was shot in the face before 911 dispatchers received a call about the shooting in East Texas.

The children were at a family cookout when the incident took place over the weekend in the 13000 block of State Highway 21 W. Family members later told investigators that the teenager and the younger relative were shooting under adult supervision earlier that day, according to CBS19.

At the family gathering, the two children got hold of a .380 semi-automatic handgun that was left unattended and began playing with it inside a bedroom. The 10-year-old family member unintentionally fired the gun and struck the 13-year-old boy on his cheek before the bullet exited from beneath his ear.

A 911 call was placed at around 7:10 p.m. to inform authorities about the shooting. First responders arrived at the house to find the teenager receiving first aid from family members, according to KETK News.

“Juvenile injured in accidental shooting,” the Nacogdoches County Sheriff's Office (NCSO) said in a statement released on Facebook. “The Nacogdoches County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a shooting that injured a 13-year-old boy over the weekend.”

“Deputies and emergency medical personnel were dispatched to the home around 7:10 p.m. after 911 dispatchers received a call about the shooting,” the statement added.

NCSO mentioned that the handgun was left unattended at the family cookout. “The boy and a 10-year-old family member had picked up a .380 semi-automatic handgun that had been left unattended. While playing with the gun in a back bedroom, the 10-year-old unintentionally discharged the gun, hitting the 13-year-old in the cheek. The bullet exited the victim beneath the ear," the sheriff's office statement said.

NCSO and the Texas Department of Child Protective Services are investigating the shooting incident.

The sheriff’s office also advised families to take extra precautions while keeping firearms inside the house.

“Firearms should always be stored unloaded and separate from ammunition in a locked container,” NCSO said in their social media post. “A cable or trigger lock that prevents the firearm from operating should be used whenever possible.”