A 16-year-old boy is dead after he accidently shot himself while behind the wheel of a sedan in northeast Harris County on Monday night, according to Harris County sheriff’s deputies.
The teen was initially taken to the hospital via Life Flight in “very critical condition,” but in an update just before 1 p.m. Tuesday, Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said he was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Update: the 16-yr-old was pronounced deceased at the hospital. Follow-up investigation continues. https://t.co/UPcr8vB0fE
— Ed Gonzalez (@SheriffEd_HCSO) August 22, 2023
The shooting happened shortly after 8 p.m. Monday at the intersection of Wallisville Road and the Sam Houston Tollway.
Gonzalez said this is a reminder that it’s incredibly dangerous and reckless to handle a loaded gun inside of a moving vehicle.
The 16-year-old was reportedly holding a pistol while driving a sedan with three teenage passengers — two other 16-year-olds and a 17-year-old.
The gun went off as the sedan slowly rear-ended the car in front of it. Deputies said the driver of the car that was hit is OK, just shaken up.
Gonzalez said it’s possible the driver was playing with the gun when it went off. However, the investigation into exactly what happened is ongoing.
“At this point, we’re trying to conduct the investigation. We still want to confirm some details, make sure that we’re getting the full story,” Gonzalez said. “The initial story is that the driver himself was handling the pistol when it discharged. But again, that could always change. We could get additional information to determine that one of the other occupants could have discharged the weapon.”
Gonzalez said investigators have no reason to believe the shot came from anywhere but inside of the vehicle.
@HCSOTexas units responded to an incident at 15491 Wallisville Rd/E Sam Houston Pkwy N. Preliminary info: a teen driver (possibly 16) or other teen occupants in a vehicle, may have been handling a pistol while the car was in motion. The teen driver rear-ended another
1/2 pic.twitter.com/AGQYHwbRci— Ed Gonzalez (@SheriffEd_HCSO) August 22, 2023
vehicle, at which time, the pistol discharged, striking the the driver. The teen has been transported by Lifeflight in critical condition. I’ll be joining investigators at the scene. #HouNews
2/2— Ed Gonzalez (@SheriffEd_HCSO) August 22, 2023