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Texas babysitter shoots 10-year-old boy in stomach while taking selfies with a loaded gun at home

The 19-year-old Caitlyn Smith was arrested and charged with injury to a child and serious bodily injury after accidentally pulling the trigger
UPDATED FEB 28, 2020
 Caitlyn Smith (Harris County Sheriff's Department)
Caitlyn Smith (Harris County Sheriff's Department)

HOUSTON, TEXAS: A young 10-year-old boy is now recovering in the hospital after being shot in the stomach by his aunt who accidentally pressed the trigger while taking selfies with the firearm.

The child's aunt, Caitlyn Smith, 19, who was babysitting the victim has been arrested and charged with injury to a child and serious bodily injury. According to the Harris County Sheriff's Office, they received a call about a boy being shot in the stomach on Tuesday, February 25. Smith's nephew is reportedly now in a serious condition but has been expected to make a full recovery. 

As reported by Fox 26, Sheriff Ed Gonzales said, "There was an unsecured weapon inside the home. The female indicates that she retrieved that weapon to take pictures, and in the course of taking pictures the gun went off and struck the child." Gonzales said that Smith was babysitting the child while his parents were away.

She recorded herself holding the gun, and then went to disengage the magazine from the pistol, said Deputy Thomas Gilliland, spokesman for the Harris County Sheriff's Office.
But her finger was allegedly on the trigger, so when she pulled to eject the magazine, the gun fired, striking the 10-year-old in the abdomen, he added.

The child was taken from the Chrisholm Trail Apartments to the hospital where he had to undergo surgery. A woman, Cece York whose son goes to school with the victim shared, "It’s really sad. To know that you even pull out a gun in front of a child is really crazy." She also thinks that it is ridiculous that a child was seriously injured for a photograph. 

"To even think, to even pose with a gun, or if you was having him take a picture with the gun, take a picture of you with a gun, that’s crazy. You shouldn’t… I don’t believe you should do that," York added. Even though it was a pretty serious gunshot wound, the bullet thankfully missed the child's vital organs.

Gonzales also shared, "Very tragic situation, we see this quite a bit. In my opinion, no child should ever have to undergo anything like this." Deputy Thomas Gilliland told ABC News, "Weapons are not meant to be props in selfies or any type of videoing," before adding that it "could have been a homicide". 

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