Man Arrested After Boy Accidentally Shot

The manager of a Canoga Park apartment building was in jail Friday after he accidentally fired a sawed-off shotgun and the pellets struck an 11-year-old boy, causing minor injuries, Los Angeles police said.

Kevin Kellogg, 24, was arrested on suspicion of possession of an illegal firearm, a felony, and was being held at the West Valley Division jail in lieu of $5,000 bail, police said.

The boy, whose name was not released by police, was taken to UCLA Medical Center in Westwood, where he was in satisfactory condition after being treated for minor pellet wounds to the left side of his body, Lt. George Rock said. The incident occurred at 8:30 p.m. at a complex in the 21600 block of Saticoy Street.

Police said Kellogg was carrying the weapon while walking in a courtyard area. “He somehow slipped and fell, and it went off,” Rock said.

Police said the pellets apparently ricocheted off the pavement before hitting the boy. It was unclear how far away the victim was when struck. The incident is still under investigation.

Kellogg will not be charged with injuring the boy, because investigators said they believe the shooting was accidental. But altering a shotgun by shortening its barrel makes the weapon illegal, Rock said.

Police said Kellogg was “patrolling” the complex at the time but did not know why. They said they are unaware of any specific crime problem there.

“That location doesn’t seem to be a terribly bad area,” Rock said.