Houston teen playing with mother’s gun shoots himself in the ankle, police say

Houston police officers investigate after a teenager reportedly shot himself in the ankle while playing with his mother's gun inside a southwest Houston apartment complex Thursday, July 4, 2019. Houston police officers investigate after a teenager reportedly shot himself in the ankle while playing with his mother's gun inside a southwest Houston apartment complex Thursday, July 4, 2019. Photo: Jay R. Jordan Photo: Jay R. Jordan Image 1 of / 5 Caption Close Houston teen playing with mother’s gun shoots himself in the ankle, police say 1 / 5 Back to Gallery

A teenager playing with his mother's gun accidentally shot himself in the ankle Thursday morning in southwest Houston.

Paramedics rushed to the Summerfield Apartments in the 7500 block of South Gessner around 10 a.m. where they found the wounded 17-year-old, a Houston police officer on scene said. The teen was rushed to a Houston hospital in stable condition.

The officer said he was playing with the firearm when it discharged. It was not immediately clear how the teenager got the gun.

He is expected to survive.

Jay R. Jordan covers breaking news in the Houston area. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and our subscriber site, HoustonChronicle.com | Follow him on Twitter at @JayRJordan | Email him at jay.jordan@chron.com | Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message