4-Year-Old Injured in Fort Worth Shooting

A 4-year-old boy from north Fort Worth was hospitalized with a bloody nose and head injury after he fired a handgun he found in his parents' closet Tuesday afternoon.

Police believe the injuries may be from the recoil of the gun, though initial reports indicated the child had a graze wound to his head.

The boy climbed into his parents' bedroom closet in their home on the 600 block of Destin Drive and found their .38-caliber gun on the top shelf, Fort Worth police said.

The gun was loaded and unlocked when the boy pulled the trigger.

The boy suffered a bloody nose and an injury to his forehead. Officers found no gunpowder residue on him, leading them to believe it may have been the recoil of the gun, not a bullet, that injured him.

The boy's mother was at home at the time of the shooting, along with another child.

His mother called 911, and her son was taken to Cooks Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth. The boy's injuries were not life-threatening.

“I think it’s sad,” said Gail Buerkle, a neighbor who also has children and guns in her home. “I don't exactly know what happened. I’m sure the parents got a good scare. I think they will think twice about where they store their guns."

No arrests have been made or charges filed in the shooting, officers told NBC 5.

NBC 5's Holley Ford contributed to this story.

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