Sources: 11-Year-Old Accidentally Shoots 5-Year-Old Brother In The Shoulder
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A 5-year-old Bronx boy was recovering from a bullet to the shoulder following a shooting earlier Friday.
Police now believe his older brother pulled the trigger, CBS 2's Tony Aiello reported.
The incident happened inside an apartment at around 10:30 a.m.
5-Year-Old Shot By His Dad
Residents at St. Mary's Park Houses reacted as police swarmed the complex following conflicting reports about the shooting of a young boy.
"I'm sad, really sad. He's a good kid, a really good kid," one young man said.
"That little boy is just, like, he's bubbly. He's always happy. You can tell when a kid is happy when he's being parented right, you know?" a woman named Dana, who lives in the area and sees the family often, told WCBS 880's Peter Haskell.
Police sources said the father of the 5-year-old was in a car, taking him to Lincoln Hospital, when he flagged down officers near 3rd and Brook avenues. The father first told police the little boy was shot during an attempted robbery while they were together at a check-cashing business in the Bronx.
He then told police he accidentally shot the boy, before admitting his 11-year-old was playing with the gun when it discharged, hitting the younger child in the shoulder.
11-Year-Old Apparently Shoots 5-Year-Old Brother In The Shoulder
"He might have had [the gun] for safety. That's sad, though," another person said.
One retired NYPD employee asked not to be identified, but said she knows the family and said the little boy is doing well, adding the bullet went through the boy's shoulder.
"I just know this is a nice family. These are well-behaved children. They're never out by themselves," the woman said.
The family keeps pit bulls, which officers removed from the apartment during the investigation -- an adult and two puppies.
Police anticipate filing firearms charges against the boy's father, CBS 2's Aiello reported.
"The gun -- that's not an accident. There's no way you can accidentally get a gun," a resident said.
Depending on what the investigation uncovers the family could also face eviction from public housing.
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