HOUSTON – The family of a baby boy, who is recovering from gunshot wounds after a bullet went through the car he was riding in, is grateful their 1-year-old son is alive.
Police are looking for the gunman who shot at a car multiple times Monday evening at Beechnut Street and Mullins Drive.
[DETAILS: Child shot in leg while riding in vehicle in SW Houston]
“He was very, very lucky, because he could have been a lot worse,” said the baby's mother, who asked us not to use her name or her son’s name.
The mother of two said the bullet went through his right leg, grazed his stomach and into his left leg, breaking the femur.
“I’m kind of on mom autopilot at this point, making sure that he’s OK. I don’t think honestly the shock has worn off, so I think it’s probably going to hit me like a ton of bricks in about a week,” explained the baby’s mother.
She said they were on their way home from school, her baby boy and daughter were in the back seat.
She said when they turned onto Mullins, a car drove past them and she heard four loud pops.
“‘Then I thought, no it couldn’t have been fireworks. Maybe it was kids shooting off an air gun or something,” explained the mother about what she heard. “So I called the constable patrol for our area and let them know there may have been some kids shooting off an air gun or something.”
She said her son started crying at the time of the popping sound, but she thought he was crying because the loud noise startled him while he was sleeping.
It wasn’t until she pulled into her driveway a couple of blocks away that she realized they had been hit.
“Once I saw the bullet hole in my car I realized it was something very different,” explained the mother. “When I saw the bullet hole in the door, I opened the door, there was blood in his car seat and on his legs, I just panicked.”
The car had been hit four times; one of those bullets hit her son. The mother called 911, screamed for neighbors to help and her husband arrived home around the same time.
“It’s not something you picture having anything remotely like this happening, ever,” explained the Meyerland mother. “There are more kids than I can count out in that neighborhood and they’re always riding bikes and playing ball and it’s a clash of reality for sure.”
The Houston Police Department Homicide Division is investigating the case, even though no one died.
“This is not a usual incident where someone just driving down the street winds up getting hit as a passer-by,” said Lt. Robert Blain, with the Homicide Division.
At this point, investigators believe it was a random, isolated incident.
“They don’t know any reason why we were specifically targeted. They don’t think that we were targeted for any reason other than being in the wrong place at the wrong time,” said the child’s mother.
“At this point we really don’t know who the person was (who) wound up shooting or the reason why,” said Blain. “Nothing to show one way or the other if they were targeted. I have investigators down at the hospital talking to the mother, but I don’t know what they found out yet.”
Blain said they are asking the public to come forward with any information. The baby’s mother is hoping someone has surveillance video in the area.
Crime Stoppers is also offering a $5,000 reward. Anyone with information that leads to an arrest are asked to call Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.