A mother mistakenly shot her 5-year-old son when she was trying to shoot and kill a neighborhood dog that ran loose from the home of its owner.
The accidental shooting happened on Saturday afternoon at 700 Dunham Road in north Houston.
Footage from the door camera of its dog’s owner showed the seemingly owner of the dog opening the front door while calling the dog by its name to come bark. “Bruno, get over here Bruno”!
The pet dog playfully ran off the yard and into the street, away from camera view before a shot was fired.
The shot was followed by screams, likely from the injured boy, innocently calling out his mummy. Watch the video below:
Luckily, the little child survived the shooting. He was hit in the abdomen but his injuries were deemed non-life threatening. According to Detective J. Hasley from the HPD Major Assaults and Family Violence Division, the bullets were fired from a small caliber pistol.
The mother, 24-year-old Angelia Mia Vargas, was arrested and charged with deadly conduct with a firearm. She was riding a bike with her son and a third family member when the dog ran out. It was determined that she had carelessly fired the gun in a public area and in the direction of two houses
According to the owner of the dog, he was expecting the arrival of his brother. So when his 6-month-old boxer puppy Bruno started barking consistently, he thought it was signifying the arrival of his brother.
He opened the door but the pet ran off. He was trying to bring it back inside by calling out its name but when the dog strayed into the street and met the biking family, it was instantly shot. Luckily for the dog too, the bullet only grazed its hind legs. The dog owner was also issued a citation for the dog running loose.