Dad accidentally fires AR-15 in Fifth Ward store, shooting his own child and another man, HPD says

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Police are looking for a man who they believe accidentally fired shots inside a Fifth Ward corner store, hitting two people, including a young boy who may be his own son.

The shooting happened at the Friendly Store at the corner of Lyons Avenue and Schweikhart Street around 5:15 a.m. Thursday, Houston police said.

Investigators said surveillance video shows the man pull up and drop off two kids, who then went into the store.

The man then got out of his car with an AR-15 wrapped in a towel and walked into the store, too, HPD said.

Soon after -- shots were fired. However, police say they don't think it was on purpose. They believe he accidentally fired the gun, panicked, and fired a few more rounds.

"At some point as he was leaving the store, it looks like he may have accidentally discharged the weapon anywhere from three to four times," Det. José Delatorre said. "One of the victims who was struck, who happened to be one of his children, was taken to the hospital as a result of the gunfire."

The child who was shot is a boy between 7 and 10 years old, HPD said. The other boy wasn't hit.

Police say ricochet rounds went out into the street and went through the car window of man driving by -- hitting him too. HPD said there was also a child in that car, but thankfully, they were not hurt.

Both the young boy and the driver of the car were taken to the hospital in critical condition but are expected to survive, police said.

So far, HPD said the man accused of firing the shots is not in custody.

"He actually, I think, dropped his boys off at the hospital and then left," Delatorre said.

No information is available about what kind of charges the man could face. It's unclear why he took the gun into the store, but police said they don't believe he was trying to rob it.