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'Our hearts are broken': Texas girl, 3, fatally shoots 4-year-old sister after finding loaded gun at home

Five adults were in other parts of the apartment when the two girls were 'accidentally' left unattended

HOUSTON, TEXAS: In a Texas home, a three-year-old girl accidentally shot her four-year-old sister to death with a loaded gun. The two girls were found in a bedroom at around 8 pm at Bammel North Houston Road in Houston, where they lived with their parents.

Five adults were in other parts of the apartment when the two girls were "accidentally" left unattended. According to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, one parent thought that the other was watching the girls in the bedroom. 

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'Family members heard a single gunshot'

In a news conference, Gonzalez said, "The 3-year-old gained access to a loaded, semi-automatic pistol. Family members heard a single gunshot. They ran into the room and found the small toddler, 4 years old, unresponsive. It just seems like another tragic story of, again, a child gaining access to a firearm and hurting someone else and this time there was a fatal shot."

He added, "Our hearts are broken. Our deputies are pretty shaken up. The community is impacted when a child loses their life in this way. We continue to send the message that this is very preventable. You've got to be sure you're being a responsible gun owner, securing your weapons in a safe place. It's got to be more than just telling young kids not to touch the weapons. You know, we've got to do a little more. We see far too many tragic situations like this unfold."

'Unbelievably sad and infuriating'

Some netizens reacted to the news on Twitter. Calling it "sad and infuriating," one person said, "How TF you have 2 toddlers in the house and not secure your firearms? Honestly, if you’re not going to fix gun laws, you can only expect your kids will inevitably accidentally shoot their siblings. This is just unbelievably sad and infuriating." Angry with the gun laws of the state, one said, "'The 3-year old is the alleged shooter (of her 4-year old sister). It appears to be unintentional'. In Texas, literally anyone, even a toddler, can get a gun. No real laws require the gun owner to keep babies away from loaded semi-automatics. And Republicans RUN on this." 

Calling the incident "completely preventable," one said, "Adults who leave guns unsecured MUST be held accountable. This was completely preventable. It wasn't an accident - it was unintentional." Another pleaded, "This must stop. Please lock up your guns, people." Responding sarcastically to the news, one said, "Totally normal stuff in the greatest country in the world."

So far in 2023, there have been around 58 unintentional shootings by children in the US - killing 22 and injuring 37, according to Everytown for Gun Safety's website. In 2022, there were 353 unintentional shootings by children, resulting in 156 deaths and 212 injuries.