A 10-year-old girl accidentally shot her 8-year-old sister with her father’s service weapon Friday morning after he left it on the bed while getting ready for work, police said.

The girl’s injury does not appear to be life threatening, Fresno Police Lt. Joe Gomez said.

The girls’ father is a deputy with the Madera County Sheriff’s Department, Fresno Police Lt. Joe Gomez said. The man was getting ready for work about 7:48 a.m. and placed his service weapon on the bed before heading into the bathroom, Gomez said.

There was one bullet in the handgun’s chamber. The magazine had been removed, he said.


While he was in the bathroom, his daughters entered the bedroom.

The older girl picked up the handgun and accidentally shot her younger sister, Gomez said.

Officers arrived at the home in the area of Bullard and Cornelia avenues and found the injured girl.

The girl suffered one gunshot wound to her lower torso and was taken to an area hospital, where she was in stable condition.


Gomez, who also has two young daughters, said that as a police officer, he worries about keeping his weapon out of reach of his daughters and younger family members.

The question for law enforcement officers who take their guns home with them is, “What do you do with your weapon?” he said.

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