VENTURA : Boy, 3, Who Was Shot in Accident Improves

A 3-year-old Ventura boy who was accidentally shot and wounded last week by his 6-year-old brother had recovered considerably by Friday, and was ready to leave the hospital, his stepfather said.

Officials at the Ventura County Medical Center, where 3-year-old David Cook had been hospitalized since the shooting incident, said the boy’s condition had been upgraded from fair to good. They declined to comment on whether David was ready to leave the hospital. David’s stepfather, Joe Richey, said Friday that the toddler is “100% better and he gets out of the hospital today.”

“He’s happier than a bug on a rug,” Richey said. “He’s in a great mood. All the nurses were coming in saying goodby to him. They’re going to miss him.”

Richey also said that he planned to reunite David with his 6-year-old brother, Keith, who shot him accidentally, wounding his back. Keith had found a shotgun in a room at Ventura’s Silver Sands Motel and Apartments, where the children were living along with two sisters, their mother and stepfather.

“It’s important that they be reunited,” Richey said. “Keith is all worried about him. He hasn’t seen him yet. . . . We are going to put them together, let Keith know that we all love him, we all know it was just an accident.”

Ventura Police Detective Gary McCaskill said officers are still gathering evidence about the case. The district attorney’s office will decide whether to prosecute David’s mother and stepfather under a 1991 law which makes it illegal to store firearms where they are accessible to children.