A 9-year-old girl was shot and seriously wounded by her 12-year-old brother as he played with a handgun in their Newark home, and the children's mother faces child endangerment charges.

City police tell NJ.com that 33-year-old Catrease Thomas also faces a weapons count. But they haven't said if she or any other adult was in the home when the shooting occurred around noon Saturday.

The girl, who was shot in the chest, remained hospitalized Sunday in critical but stable condition. She was shot with a 9 mm handgun, but authorities haven't said how the boy got hold of the weapon.

Authorities say the gun had been reported stolen in Alabama, and charges are pending against another adult. But they did not disclose further details.