The Pasco County Sheriff's Office is investigating the shooting of a 10-year-old boy.
- Shooting happened Monday in Dade City
- Sheriff's Office says it appears accidental
- Boy was alert, talking; taken to hospital
The incident occurred just before 3 p.m. Monday in Dade City.
Authorities said the boy was shot in the head in the 38800 block of Old Sparkman Road.
It appears the shooting was accidental, according to investigators.
Two children, a 9-year-old and the 10-year-old, were left unattended in the home and were playing with a gun when it went off.
Neighbor Amairani Luna told us both boys came to her home right after the shooting looking for help.
"I seen, like, a little hole on his right cheek and then on the back," Luna said. "It was actually bleeding through his ear, too, so it was his ear and the back of his head."
Luna went on to say the 10 year old was surprisingly calm, and stood next to his 9-year-old brother while she called 911 and another neighbor helped by apply pressure to the boy's wound.
"The brother that was not shot, he was ok," Luna explained. "He was a little scared but he didn't know how to answer us. And the kid who was shot, he was just like this and he was saying that he got shot."
Authorities said the boys had been home alone playing with a gun when it went off. It's still unclear who pulled the trigger.
"I just want to know how it happened," Luna said. "How did they get the gun? How did they know where it was?"
The boy was taken as a trauma alert to a local hospital, but he was alert and talking. For her part, Luna said she's just glad the boy she's watched grow up is still alive.
"I'm a little shaky right now, but I just want him to be ok, and I want his parents to be ok, too, because I'm sure it's harder for them than me."