FORT WORTH, Texas _ Two young children were shot Thursday morning at a home in east Fort Worth when another child accidentally fired a shotgun, police and a family member said.
A relative took the children to Cook Children's Medical Center after the shooting.
The child who was holding the gun fired once, hitting the two other children, Officer Ivan Gomez said.
A police call log and a hospital official said a 5-year-old boy was shot in the chest and a 7-year-old girl had a gunshot wound to the arm. A relative said the injured boy is 7.
One child was in serious condition and the other was in stable condition Thursday afternoon, Gomez said.
The shooting happened in the yard at a house on Sanborn Street and was reported at 10:48 a.m.
Police did not provide the age of the child who found the unsecured gun inside the house, but the child's father said it was his 10-year-old daughter who accidentally shot her two cousins.
The father, Jordan Olguin, told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that his nephew found the gun in a laundry basket, and that his daughter was trying to pull the gun away from him when it went off.
"She didn't mean to do it. She was just trying to keep it away from them. She's scared for my nephew," he said.
Olguin said his nephew is having surgery because some pellets may be near his heart.
Police on the scene declined to comment on the type of gun involved in the shooting. Sgt. Chris Daniels said in an email that it was a shotgun, which the family confirmed.
Olguin said he was not at the house when the shooting happened, and that his mother was watching the children. He said he didn't know the gun was in the house, and it does not belong to him.
"It's a very big shock to me," he said. "We have no idea where (the gun) came from."
He said he, his grandmother, his mom, his wife and his brother and his children live in the house. Seven children live in the house in total.
Detectives with the Crimes Against Children Unit and Child Protective Services are investigating.
An adult was inside the house at the time of the shooting, police said.
Police said the shooting is believed to be accidental, according to the preliminary investigation, but charges could be possible if they find a crime was committed.
Police noted there was not any danger to the public.
