A small gang of armed juvenile boys were shot by a Texas man during an attempted robbery on Christmas. The minor suspects allegedly attempted to rob a man at gunpoint outside of his Houston apartment complex, prompting the 25-year-old victim to whip out his pistol and open fire, authorities said.
Three of the accused, ages 12 to 13, were wounded. One of the 12-year-old suspects was taken to the hospital in critical condition, while the other two, who had incurred bullet wounds, were treated at the scene. According to police, a 14-year-old suspect was arrested. He did not sustain injuries.
Authorities said the 25-year-old man has been cooperating with police and has not been charged with any crime.
Neighbor Bruce Bailey was the first to call the cops after hearing one of the injured boys scream in agony. Bailey told KHOU that he was "just a little kid," expressing his disbelief at what had happened.
"I screamed out to him, 'Are you ok?,'" Bailey said. "And he just put his hand in the air and screamed for help. My other neighbor came and held his hand and was talking to him, trying to keep him alive."
He particularly couldn't believe that an incident such as this occurred on Christmas. "One of the police officers was trying to keep him coherent and everything, and he said, 'What did you get for Christmas?" Bailey recanted.
"Of all things, being Christmas, and this is a child, first thing that comes to my mind is, number one, where is the parent? Number two, if you got here with a gun, what are you doing out here with a gun?" the neighbor questioned.
Detectives are currently investigating whether the suspects used BB guns or actual firearms during the robbery attempt.
