Child, 5, Shot By 8-Year-Old Family Friend In Houston; No Arrests Made

A 5-year-old child is in critical condition after being shot by an 8-year-old family friend in a Houston home. At least one adult is believed to be present inside the residence at the time of the incident.

Police responded to the home located in the 4900 block of Denmark and Lockwood in the Trinity/Houston Garden neighborhood in east Houston at around 12:30 p.m. on Dec. 3 after someone at the residence called to report a shooting, Commander Jonathan Halliday of the Houston Police Department (HPD) said at a news conference, according to ABC News.

Cops reportedly detained three people for questioning.

Halliday said it was not immediately clear how the boy got access to the gun. "When they arrived, they learned that a 5-year-old had been shot one time reportedly by an 8-year-old," Halliday said, as per the outlet.

The injured child was taken to the Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital by his father. The boy was then airlifted by helicopter to Memorial Hermann Hospital where he is currently fighting for his life.

The incident is now being investigated by the police department's major assaults unit, Halliday added. No arrests have been made in connection with the case yet.

"We know that one adult was inside the house, but we're not sure the total number of people," Halliday said further.

One of the boys involved in the shooting was visiting the other's house when the untoward incident happened, Halliday explained, adding, "they're all family friends."

The boy who fired the gun suffered a laceration to the forehead after the shooting took place and was taken to the hospital in stable condition, ABC13 reported.

However, what exactly led to the shooting remains unknown.

The incident comes at a time when there is a dangerous uptick in shooting-related fatalities and injuries among children under the age of 11.

Just last month, a 3-year-old boy died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after getting access to an unsecured gun in their Utah home. Emergency crews performed life-saving measures on the boy upon arrival at the scene, but he succumbed to his injuries moments later.