Houston 5-Year-Old Shoots Brother, 7

Another case of a young child shooting a young sibling: Police say an east Houston mother left her 5- and 7-year-old sons alone either during or after giving them a bath last night (reports conflict). The younger child apparently retrieved a .22 rifle in her absence and began playing with it. The gun went off, sending a bullet through the 7-year-old's back; the injuries are not life-threatening. Police told KHOU that the gun appeared so old that one might think it was inoperable; the Houston Chronicle echos that, calling it an "old and rusty bolt-action .22." No charges have been filed, but the Chronicle reports that charges could come if the gun was not properly secured. Two similar shootings have happened in the last 10 days; click for those stories. (More shooting stories.)