Authorities say a Texas woman accidentally shot her 5-year-old son while trying to shoot a loose dog, ABC13 reported.
The incident occurred while the Vargas family was on a bike ride in north Houston on Saturday, according to ABC13. Neighbors told the outlet a dog then ran toward 24-year-old Angelia Mia Vargas, her 5-year-old son and one other family member. The dog is reportedly a 6-month-old Boxer puppy named Bruno. Vargas has been charged with deadly conduct with a firearm and Bruno’s owner has been given a Class C misdemeanor for having a loose dog, the ABC13 report claimed.
Bruno’s owner spoke to ABC13 about the incident, but did not want to appear on camera.
“I came out of my house because Bruno was barking and barking. I thought my brother was coming,” the owner told ABC13. “So, I open the door just a little bit and he comes running out.”
Bruno can be seen running out with his owner trailing him, calling for the dog to come back into the house in surveillance video captured on a Ring doorbell device and obtained by ABC13. Multiple shots ring out shortly after, followed by screams from the 5-year-old’s parents, ABC13 reported.
The child was hit in the abdomen by one of the three shots his mother allegedly discharged, Detective J. Hasley with the HPD Major Assaults and Family Violence Division told ABC13. The boy was taken to the hospital with wounds that were not life threatening and is in stable condition, according to ABC13. (RELATED: Dogs Maul 3-Year-Old To Death, Injure Mother)
The puppy was grazed by one of the bullets on one leg, ABC13 reported.
Caught on @Ring: Mom on bike ride with son allegedly shoots at neighbor’s boxer. Bullets miss dog, ricochet & hits her own son, who is five. Mom is charged, son will survive, dog is grazed. My #abc13 exclusive: https://t.co/oel1j3PAmS
— Miya Shay (@miyashay) June 1, 2021
“She [Vargas] 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,” Bruno’s owner told ABC13. The owner also said he is having nightmares because of the incident.
“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 ABC13.