Rifle Found in Home; Boy, 11, Wounded

An 11-year-old South El Monte boy playing at a friend’s home was accidentally shot in the head after he and the friend found a .22-caliber rifle they did not realize was loaded, sheriff’s deputies said. The boy, whose name was not released, was in extremely critical condition on a life-support system at Greater El Monte Community Hospital, a nursing supervisor said.

Deputy Dan Cox said the boy was one of four playing at a friend’s home when the friend, a 14-year-old boy, began handling the gun. “Unbeknownst to him, it was loaded,” Cox said.

When the older boy pulled the trigger, the gun fired once, and the single bullet hit the 11-year-old in the head, Cox said. Neither the 14-year-old nor the other two boys playing in the house were hurt, he said. Sheriff’s homicide detectives have declared it an accidental shooting.

Cox said deputies did not yet know whether either parent was home at the time, nor had they learned where the rifle was kept.