LIBERTY, Texas (AP) — Authorities in Southeast Texas say an 8-year-old boy has died after being shot in the chest while shooting at tin cans with family members.
The Liberty County sheriff’s office said Sunday that they’re still investigating the Saturday night shooting and haven’t yet determined exactly how it happened or who was involved.
Officials said the boy, his 35-year-old father and the father’s nephew had been taking turns using a .22 caliber semi-automatic rifle with no trigger guard to shoot at tin cans near a wood pile. The boy’s father told an investigator that when he turned his back he heard a gunshot and his son had been shot.
The boy was pronounced dead at a Houston hospital.
Authorities say no charges have been filed at this time.