KEY POINTS

  • Angelia Vargas was firing at a puppy that ran out to the street
  • The child was in a stable condition at a hospital 
  • The bullet ricocheted and hit the child in his abdomen

A Houston mother was arrested after she accidentally shot her 5-year-old child in the abdomen while trying to gun down a neighbor's dog that was running loose across the street.

Following the incident in North Houston on Saturday afternoon, 24-year-old Angelia Vargas was charged with deadly conduct with a firearm, Click2Houston reported.

Detective J. Hasley with the Houston Police Department Major Assaults and Family Violence Division told ABC 13 the child was struck in the abdomen by one of the ricocheted bullets that Vargas allegedly fired from a small-caliber pistol.

The boy was rushed to the hospital and was in a stable condition with non-life-threatening wounds.

Neighbors said Vargas was riding a bike along with her son and another family member when the 6-month-old boxer puppy Bruno ran out.

"I came out of my house because Bruno was barking and barking. I thought my brother was coming. So, I open the door just a little bit and he comes running out," Bruno's owner told ABC 13.

A ring doorbell video obtained by ABC 13 showed the puppy running out, followed by its owner. The owner could be heard asking the puppy to come back. However, the dog runs out onto the street and, within seconds, three gunshots are heard. The child's parents are then heard screaming in the background.

"She could have handled it differently. You know she was there, her husband was there, I was there, nothing would have happened. Nothing bad like that," added Bruno's owner.

The pup only suffered graze wounds to his legs and was already back on his feet.

The unidentified owner, who was upset the child got hurt, said he has nightmares since the day. "I was asleep and I had a dream hearing the little boy crying, and that's what woke me up when I was sleeping yesterday," he told ABC 13.

While Vargas has been arrested for firing across a public roadway and in the direction of two occupied houses, Bruno's owner has a Class C misdemeanor citation for having a loose dog.

Gun
Representational image Pixabay
RELATED STORIES