A local sheriff said he was “outraged” Monday that a child was killed lying in his bed in Houston, Texas after a gunman opened fire in a drive-by shooting.
“Outraged to learn that a 7-year-old child was killed during a drive-by shooting,” Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez tweeted. “I urge the community to come forward with any information related to this senseless act of gun violence.”
“This is the daily toll of gun violence. Gun violence in the US can’t be viewed as a solitary issue,” he tweeted a few hours later. “Let’s not accept daily gun violence as our norm.”
Though several shots were allegedly fired into the trailer home of a family of four, only 7-year-old Paul Vasquez endured a gunshot wound to the chest, KHOU 11 reported. The three brothers and their mother were reportedly present when a silver sedan rolled up and blasted their home at around 11 p.m., investigators said, according to the outlet.
The shooter apparently targeted the front of the house, where the 7-year-old slept, the outlet reported. (RELATED: West Virginia Man Charged In Maryland Mass Shooting)
“He was able to tell his mom he was shot before becoming unresponsive,” Sgt. Jason Brown said, according to KHOU.
The child was brought to Ben Taub hospital before succumbing to his injuries, according to the New York Post.
A child was killed and during a drive-by shooting this morning. This is the daily toll of gun violence. Gun violence in the US can’t be viewed as a solitary issue. Let’s not accept daily gun violence as our norm. Our hearts go out to all those grieving in the wake of these 1/2 https://t.co/cHIMomfqLQ
— Ed Gonzalez (@SheriffEd_HCSO) June 13, 2022
The Harris County sheriff’s office has yet to determine a suspect or a motive, according to KHOU.
“We can and we must do more to stop gun violence,” Gonzalez went on to say in his tweet thread.