Miami Boy, 4, In Stable Condition After Shooting
MIAMI(CBS4) – A Miami boy is in stable condition after he was rushed to the hospital following a shooting Wednesday afternoon.
The shooting happened in a home in the 1100 block ofNW 3rd Street. Miami police said a 17-year-old boy and a 4-year-old boy were in one room of the house, while the younger boy's grandfather and a woman were in another room.
The boy's grandfather told police they heard a shot ring out and found the 4-year-old with a gunshot wound in his groin area. The boy was shot in his grandfather's home in Little Havana.
In Spanish, grandfather Pedro Del Sol told CBS4's Natalia Zea, "When I felt "tack" I thought something fell because it's a 22 caliber- they're not that loud. But then I saw the boy come out crying and crying... his mom grabbed him and I said what happened? The older boy said, 'I was in the room playing with your rifle.'"
Del Sol admits the gun used in the apparent accidental shooting of his youngest grandson, is his. He said it is an unregistered 22-caliber rifle that a friend gave him to fix years ago. He left it unlocked in his closet.
"How could this be? I thought the gun has no bullets. I don't know there might have been a bullet jammed in it," said Del Sol.
The boy was rushed to Jackson Memorial Hospital soon after.
Del Sol said he doesn't know who pulled the trigger. Neither do police,but they questioned the 17-year-old on the scene.
Neighbor, Jessenia Garcia is stunned.
"Oh my God that's horrible," she said. "People should really put safety on their guns."
Garcia, also a gun owner, said she takes extra care with it to protect her young nephew.
"I have to yeah…because one day you don't watch the kid and he goes somewhere and he finds it, and that's it," she said.
Police said the shooting appears to be accidental, and no one has been arrested.
Police said the Department of Children and Families has also been called to investigate.
