A grandmother, mistaking her grandson for an intruder, shot the boy at their Tampa home overnight, according to authorities.
According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, Linda Maddox, 63, was sleeping with her twin grandsons at a home on Alta Monte Drive in the Town 'N Country area.
The boys' father had gone to work and the grandmother had placed a chair against the bedroom door handle for extra protection.
Deputies said that just before 1 a.m. she heard the chair sliding against the wood floor.
Assuming it was an intruder, she grabbed a loaded .22 caliber revolver she keeps by the bed and fired one shot in the dark, toward the door, deputies said.
Seconds after firing, she heard the screams of her 7-year-old grandson, Tyler, who was shot in the upper body.
The boy was transported to St. Joseph's Hospital where he underwent surgery. He remains in critical, but stable condition.
Neighbors watched the street light up with emergency vehicles.
“I just saw 12 cops pull up out of nowhere. We was just outside hanging out,” said Jose Reyes. “Caution tape everywhere, so I'm thinking wow something really bad happened.
Neighbors still don't understand why the boys' grandmother lived in such fear.
“This is very safe neighborhood," said Paloma Alejandro. "For her to feel like it's an intruder is going to come pretty rare."
The shooting is under investigation.