Daughter of deputy grabs his gun, shoots sister

The 10-year old daughter of a San Joaquin Valley sheriff’s deputy shot her 8-year-old sister Friday with a handgun that their father had left on a bed in their Fresno home, officials say.

The younger sister was hospitalized with a bullet wound to the lower torso that did not appear life-threatening, according to the Fresno Police Department.

The deputy, who worked for the Madera County Sheriff’s Department, was getting ready for work when the shooting occurred shortly before 8 a.m., Lt. Joe Gomez told the Fresno Bee.

He had put his gun on the bed and gone into the bathroom, Gomez said, when his older daughter slipped into the bedroom and grabbed the weapon.

“A shot was fired and hit the 8-year-old daughter,” Gomez said.

The handgun had one round in the chamber, and the magazine had been removed, according to police.

The deputy called 911, police said, and his younger daughter was taken to a hospital from their North Fresno neighborhood. She was said to be in “very stable condition.”

“We absolutely support (the deputy),” Gomez said. “It’s a very difficult time.”

Kurtis Alexander is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: kalexander@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kurtisalexander