Woman accidentally shoots 5-year-old son while trying to shoot dog, reports say

HOUSTON — Police arrested a 24-year-old woman after she tried to shoot a dog in her Houston neighborhood on Saturday and instead shot and injured her 5-year-old son, according to multiple reports.

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Officials charged Angelia Mia Vargas with one count of deadly conduct with a firearm, KHOU reported. Her son was taken to a hospital with injuries that did not appear to be life-threatening, according to the news station.

Neighbors told KTRK that the incident started when a 6-month-old boxer puppy named Bruno ran into the street while Vargas and her family were riding bicycles.

“I came out of my house because Bruno was barking and barking. I thought my brother was coming,” the dog’s owner, who declined to be identified, told KTRK. “I open the door just a little bit and he comes running out.”

Video obtained by KTRK showed Bruno’s owner telling the dog to return to the house after he got loose. The news station reported that shots were fired a short while later, after Bruno wandered into the street.

Police told KHOU that Vargas fired three shots at the dog with a small-caliber pistol. One bullet ricocheted, hitting her son in the abdomen.

Bruno’s owner told KTRK that the dog was grazed by a bullet on one of his legs, but that he was otherwise fine. Police issued a citation to his owner for having a loose dog, the news station reported.

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