Inset: Anthony, 7 (KHOU/YouTube via victim’s family). Background: Apartment on Northborough Drive in Houston, Tex. (KHOU/YouTube).
Enjoying a chicken nuggets McDonald’s Happy Meal in the living room of his Texas apartment, a 7-year-old boy was struck in the head by a stray bullet, authorities say.
It happened around 12:30 a.m. Tuesday at an apartment complex on Northborough Drive in Houston. John Cannon, spokesperson for the Houston Police Department, told Law&Crime it appeared that, based on shell casings recovered at the scene, two groups of people were shooting at each other within the complex.
One of the bullets entered the boy’s apartment and hit him in the head. First responders rushed the boy to the hospital where he remains in stable condition.
The boy’s mother, Davina, explained to local CBS affiliate KHOU that the family had just returned home from grocery shopping and McDonald’s. Since she has no one to watch her children while she’s at work, she typically takes them with her and comes home after midnight. The boy, identified only as Anthony, and his brother ran upstairs to eat their Happy Meals while she and her daughter put away groceries. That’s when they heard shots. A bullet entered the home through a glass door.
The boy’s mom and sister rushed upstairs to find him with blood running down his face.
A neighbor also ran to help.
“He was bleeding, he was talking. I’m like, ‘What happened, baby? What happened? Are you OK?’ I was just trying to keep him awake,” the neighbor told the TV station.
Local ABC affiliate KTRK interviewed the boy’s sister. She said the two are very close and described him as her “favorite little brother.” It was terrifying to see him on the ground with a bullet wound to the head, she said.
“I thought I was going to lose him. And I just didn’t want that,” she explained.
Once at the hospital, he underwent surgery to repair a head fracture. It’s unclear how long he will be in the hospital.
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As for the police investigation, detectives are still looking for surveillance video that may have captured the incident and are canvassing the area, Cannon said. Crime Stoppers of Houston are offering a $5,000 for any information leading to an arrest.
KTRK reports crime has been rampant at the apartment complex, with four shootings, seven assaults, 12 burglaries and 13 weapons calls reportedly within the last six months. A 5-year-old girl was killed in the area by a stray bullet in July 2022. Cops say they are stepping up patrols.
The victim’s sister doesn’t want to leave her brother’s side.
“The trauma is still there,” she said. “I’m scared. I can’t even go home. I don’t want to leave him because I’m scared.”
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