2-year-old shot by brother remains critical
Officer says 4-year-old was angry after an argument and got a gun from his mother's purse
By ROBERT CROWE
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle
A 2-year-old remained in critical condition today, a day after his 4-year-old brother shot him in the head in their southwest Houston home.
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The older boy shot his brother Saturday afternoon after an argument, but didn't seem to understand what he had done, police said Saturday.
"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.
The 2-year-old was in critical condition at Ben Taub Hospital with a single gunshot wound to his temple.
"He's very critical," Grysen said late Saturday. "The next 72 hours are very vital because he's in a drug-induced coma right now."
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 the other 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 semiautomatic � 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. CPS case workers placed the 4-year-old with his grandmother pending the outcome of an investigation.
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.
Grysen said the 4-year-old would not be charged with a crime. Under Texas law, children younger than 10 years old cannot be charged with a crime.
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 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.
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