[candymosh]

Charges in 10-Year-Old's Shooting Death

Updated: Sunday, 22 May 2011, 11:37 AM CDT
Published : Sunday, 22 May 2011, 11:37 AM CDT

DOUG DELONY

DOUG DELONY
Senior Web Producer

HOUSTON - Charges have been filed in the case of a 10-year old boy who apparently shot himself dead on Friday afternoon.

According to police, the accidental shooting occurred in front of the boy's younger sister.

Now charges have been filed against 32-year-old Milton Almanza. Almanza is charged with 'making a firearm accessible to a child.' He's in jail with a court date set for May 27.

Houston police say the young victim in the case was handling a pistol he’d found inside a north Houston auto repair shop.

He and his sister were there Friday afternoon as their mother brought in the family car to be fixed at Innovations Automotive on Irvington Boulevard.

Investigators believe the 10-year old had been exploring in the office while his mother was outside. He got into a drawer where the shop owner kept a semi-automatic handgun.

Detectives tell FOX 26 News the weapon was pointed at the boy’s right temple when it discharged.

“What we believe happened is that the child accessed the firearm that was left in the office (and) accidentally shot himself,” says Sgt. Kevin Deese.

The boy’s sister, age 5 or 6, was right there with him, adds Deese. But she was not hurt.

Alcaraz says his cousin, who owns Innovations Automotive, acquired the gun for self-preservation. After all, this is a rough and tumble neighborhood where stick-ups are not uncommon.

“They robbed him like two or three times already,” explains Alcaraz. “So my cousin just needed something for protection and that's when he got the gun.”

It was a 25-caliber weapon. Usually, they’re small, easy to handle, easy to pull the trigger. Even a child could do it.

“We took the owner of the shop that was present, we also believe was the owner of the gun, took him down to be questioned,” says Deese.

It is a crime in Texas to make a firearm accessible to a child.

Read more: http://www.myfoxhouston.com/dpp/news...#ixzz1N6NUExFH



I feel for the mother but why wasn't she keeping an eye on her child? I don't let my kids go exploring people's offices when I take them to someone's business.

[talleys]

If the guy is going to be charged for having a weapon then the mom should be charged for neglect.
I wouldn't let my child prowl around, nosing through some strangers drawers.

[talleys]

And at 10 years old, they very much know better than to do that. They're not feeble toddlers at 10, they have logic and a sense of right and wrong at that age. My 10 yr old niece knows I'd pummel her for prowling in things that don't belong to her.

[ChockFullOfChock]

This is the problem with having all these guns around, someone innocent is far more likely to get shot that a criminal.

[candymosh]

I'm conflicted. Yes he wouldn't have fatally shot himself had the gun not been in the office BUT.....he also wouldn't have been fatally shot if he hadn't been in an area he wasn't suppose to be in snooping around.

[Sandbwoy]

The mother should have been keeping an eye on her kid. If she'd have kept him in sight, this incident wouldn't have happened.

[ChockFullOfChock]

Yeah but kids go frigging everywhere! My boy is totally out of control, and you can't keep your eyes on them all the time, it's just impossible. I don't know what the mother was doing, but she was probably just momentarily distracted. Takes being a parent to understand how hard it is to raise these little people.

This was a tragedy, the mother has suffered enough. Texas prosecutors are fucking morons to follow this up. She's lost her kid FFS.

[sherrimccharles]

Yeah I agree with talleys. Your kids need to know that you cant touch things that dont belong to you. I think kids know that by like age 5. Tough lesson for him I guess. I wonder if she taught him anything at all.

[reena666]

thats my fuckin office in my bussiness and now i'm going to jail for some bitch not watching her kid and him getting into my things????? seriously....