Who is Angelia Mia Vargas? Houston mom shoots son, 5, trying to hit loose dog
HOUSTON, TEXAS: In a nightmarish turn of events, a young mother was arrested and charged after she accidentally shot her 5-year-old child while trying to shoot a loose six-month-old boxer puppy running towards them. Houston police have since said in a press release that the mother, Angelia Mia Vargas, and her family were riding bicycles in the street when a neighbor's loose dog ran towards them. Within seconds, gunfire can be heard in surveillance footage released to the public.
One of the three bullets fired by the mother grazed the puppy in the leg, and it's not clear if it was the same stray bullet, but one of them ricocheted and hit her son in the abdomen.
The boy was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, and the dog's owner was given a citation for having a loose animal. The mother is now being held for shooting directly at a public road and in the direction of two occupied houses.
Mia Vargas has been charged with deadly conduct with a firearm.
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Who is Angelia Mia Vargas?
The incident happened when the 24-year-old woman from 700 Dunham Road in Houston, Texas, was enjoying a bike ride down the street in front of her home along with her son, and another family member on Saturday, May 29. Around 2:15 pm, their neighbor's six-month-old boxer puppy ran out of his house and into the street. The dog, Bruno, was barking nonstop which led to his owner opening the door to see if his brother was outside. Not wanting to appear on camera, Bruno's owner told the local ABC13 news channel, "I came out of my house because Bruno was barking and barking. I thought my brother was coming. So, I open the door just a little bit and he comes running out."
The video released by the news channel shows Bruno sprinting out with the owner following him. The dog is asked to come back repeatedly but he runs into the street and second later, multiple shots are fired, as per audio of the footage obtained by the channel. Soon the little boy's parents are heard screaming, reports the outlet. The boy was rushed to the hospital in a stable condition after one of the bullets from Vargas's small caliber pistol ricocheted and hit him, said detective J Hasley with the HPD Major Assaults and Family Violence Division.
'Could have handled it differently'
Speaking about the incident, Bruno's owner told the outlet that Vargas "could have handled it differently. You know, she was there, her husband was there, I was there, nothing would have happened. Nothing bad like that." Bruno's owner shared he felt bad about the child getting hit, and claimed to have had nightmares over the incident. "I was asleep and I had a dream hearing the little boy crying, and that's what woke me up when I was sleeping yesterday."
In a video interview shared by the channel on Tuesday, June 1, Bruno's owner also showed the puppy's grazed leg, but the pet, although seemingly scared, seemed fine otherwise. His owner, who assured Bruno is back to running around on his paws, chose to remain unidentified.
He was given a Class C misdemeanor citation for having a loose dog.