Infant shot by brother remains in local hospital

A 7-month-old who was shot by his 4-year-old brother Thursday afternoon remained in a Temple hospital Friday morning in serious condition.

The boy is in the custody of Child Protective Services, Temple police spokeswoman Ellen Morton said in a brief update Friday morning.

The shooting happened Thursday afternoon at a home in the 300 block of South 25th Street in Temple, police said.

Police said they received a 911 call from a woman at 2:30 p.m.

"We believe it was the mother of either one or both of the kids, she was the only adult that was in the house at the time," police spokeswoman Shawana Neely said.

When officers arrived two minutes later, they found the infant whom the 4-year-old had shot accidentally, Morton said.

Neely said it was too early in the investigation to be sure of all of the circumstances surrounding the situation including what weapon was used or how the little boy got a hold of it, but she said the shooting happened inside the house.

Information about the infant's injuries and condition wasn't provided by police as of Thursday night.

However, a family member who spoke to KWTX said "it looked like everything was going to be okay" with the baby boy.

A mechanic with Smith's Family Automotive Care who was outside working on a jeep across the street, said he saw the four-year-old playing in the front yard while his mom was mowing, then later heard sirens and saw the infant being taken out in a diaper.

"The officer was carrying it in his hands, it wasn't moving or anything," said Bradley Martin. "You could see blood and stuff on it ya know, my heart sank when I saw it, it really did."

"If you're going to own guns lock it up, that's all I can say," he said.

Next-door neighbor Marta Guillen spoke out in support of the family, saying they were good neighbors.

"The woman is good people, a good mother, a stay at home mom who doesn't work and stays home with her children," Guillen said via a Spanish translator.

Guillen and her husband also said the family had surveillance cameras overlooking the front and back yard so the children could be watched at all times.

They said the shooting had to have been an accident.

Police said they would have an update on the situation first thing Friday morning.

Investigators are asking anyone with information about the shooting to call the Temple Police Department at (254) 298-5500 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-729-TIPS.