ELKHART, Ind. – A 14-year-old in northern Indiana was trying to protect his siblings from an intruder when he accidentally shot himself and his little sister, the Elkhart Truth reports.
The 14-year-old boy was home with his 9-year-old brother and 6-year-old sister when they heard someone yelling and banging on their door.
The teen grabbed his mother’s handgun to protect his siblings from what they believed was an intruder, Elkhart Police Department spokesman Sgt. Chris Snyder told the paper.
The teen was holding the gun when his little sister grabbed him by the waist and startled him. As a result, he accidentally fired the gun.
The bullet grazed his leg and struck his sister in the thigh.
The children ran to their neighbor’s house to call 911, and the teen and the little girl were transported to Elkhart General Hospital.
Snyder says Elkhart police took custody of the handgun, and they are still investigating the incident. A description of the possible intruder has not been released.
