In what appears to be the third gun accident involving a San Antonio, Texas teenager this month, a 16-year old accidentally shot himself in the head. Two teenagers were playing with an AR-15 at the time of the accident, believing it to be unloaded. The boy was taken to the hospital with injuries that were believed to be life threatening.

“It was not a suicide attempt, it was not intentional, it was not some type of homicide. It was truly an accident as best as we can tell, at this point,” officials said in a statement.  Police are investigating how the teens got the gun, one of several AR-15s that one of the boy’s parents keep locked up in their home. 

In a prior incident in San Antonio this month, two 15-year old cousins were playing with a handgun when it fired.  The boy who was hit was taken to the hospital in critical condition.  In the other incident, 19-year old Jose Ortega was accidentally shot and killed by a 16-year old girl who was playing with a gun. 

Source:

Cody King, Steven Cavazos and Joe Arredondo, “Teen in Critical Condition after Accidentally Shooting Himself in Head, San Antonio Police Say,” KSAT.com (December 27, 2020).