(HOUSTON) — A 7-year-old boy was inside his home when authorities said he was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting in Harris County, Texas, which encompasses the Houston area.
Around 10:45 p.m. Sunday, the unknown gunman drove in front of a trailer home and opened fire at it, Harris County Sheriff’s Sgt. Jason Brown said.
Paul Vasquez, who was inside the trailer, was shot in the chest, the sheriff’s office said. He was pronounced dead at a hospital, authorities said.
Paul’s mother and two brothers were home at the time but none of them were hurt, Brown said.
No motive is known and no suspects have been identified, authorities said.
The gunman’s car is believed to be a white or gray four-door sedan, authorities said.
Just 24 hours later, at about 10:45 p.m. Monday, a 9-year-old girl was shot and killed in an apartment only 15 miles away, according to Houston police.
The girl’s mom was shot in the upper body, police said. She is in stable condition and is expected to survive, police said.
This shooting was believed to be the result of family violence, police said.
The suspect is not in custody, police said.
These deadly shootings come one week after an 11-year-old girl was shot dead in a Detroit home by outside gunfire.
After the slaying of 7-year-old Paul Vasquez, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez tweeted that he’s “outraged.”
“This is the daily toll of gun violence … Let’s not accept daily gun violence as our norm,” he tweeted. “We can and we must do more.”
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo on Tuesday called for a special state legislative session to address youth gun violence.
“Yes, we need more mental health resources … yes, we need to look at broader issues. But we cannot address gun violence and the gun violence epidemic without addressing the need for gun safety policies,” Hidalgo said at a news conference. “My hope is that as we do our work in Harris County we can work together as a state, we can work together as a nation, to finally tackle this.”
Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis added, “We owe it to these kids to keep them safe from gun violence.”
Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
