SAPD: 3-year-old boy accidentally shot self in stomach while his mom was sleeping

Police responded to a shooting at about 8 a.m. at a mobile home park in the 7100 block of West Loop 1604 North. Police responded to a shooting at about 8 a.m. at a mobile home park in the 7100 block of West Loop 1604 North. Photo: Caleb Downs / San Antonio Express-News Photo: Caleb Downs / San Antonio Express-News Image 1 of / 41 Caption Close SAPD: 3-year-old boy accidentally shot self in stomach while his mom was sleeping 1 / 41 Back to Gallery

A 3-year-old boy is in critical condition after he apparently accidentally shot himself Wednesday in a Northwest Side mobile home while his mother slept, officials said.

The boy's mother told police she awoke to a gunshot around 8 a.m. at her home in the Northwest Trails mobile home park, in the 7100 block of West Loop 1604 North, and found the boy suffering from a single gunshot wound.

San Antonio Police Sgt. Carlos Ortiz said the woman called 911 and began performing life-saving measures. Paramedics rushed the child to a nearby hospital.

READ ALSO: SAPD: Gunman at large after killing man who intervened in argument

According to a preliminary police report, the mother told police the boy grabbed a gun from a holster attached to the woman's bed frame and accidentally shot himself in the stomach.

Ortiz said the gun used in the shooting belonged to the woman's boyfriend, who was not home at the time and had been at work for an "extended period of time."

The people at the home at the time of the shooting were the 3-year-old, the mother and an older sibling of the wounded child.

"This is an open investigation," Ortiz said. "Yes, preliminary investigation says this was an accidental shooting. But we're not going to rule on anything until we can actually verify everyone's information."

Investigators are now working to interview the mother's boyfriend, and they will speak with the mother herself at a later time, once a legally mandated grieving period has been concluded.

The apparent accidental shooting comes just hours after the 4-year-old stepson of a Harris County Sheriff's Office sergeant accidentally shot himself in Hockley, Texas, Tuesday night. The boy remains in critical condition.

READ ALSO: Owner of S.A. home where baby found dead has criminal past

Ortiz advised gun owners with children to be responsible and lock away their guns or at least put them in a location where children cannot access them.

"I have a 3-year-old and I have guns in my house," he said. "I just have them out of reach of my 3-year-old, and at the same time, I tend to have them out of reach and secured in a place where young children can't reach them."

He added, "As a responsible gun owner, I want to make sure that we don't have to suffer a tragedy and have somebody shot, or even have a child access a gun."

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Caleb Downs is a crime reporter for mySA.com. Read more of his stories here.| cdowns@mysa.com | Twitter: @calebjdowns