harrisonsdream
05-27-2007, 03:10 PM
Boy home alone when he was fatally shot, CPS says
No charges yet against his mother, and there are many accounts of where she may have been
By ANITA HASSAN
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle
A 5-year-old boy who died after being shot in the face in his east Houston home Friday afternoon was alone with two siblings when it happened, authorities said.
Michael Murphy had been left alone with his 6-year-old brother and 3-year-old sister in their home in the 3800 block of Ranch about noon when the boy was shot, said Child Protective Services spokeswoman Gwen Carter.
As of late Saturday afternoon, no charges had been filed against the children's mother, Anna Garcia, police spokeswoman Joanna Abed said.
CPS caseworkers still have not determined where Garcia was when the shooting occurred and heard several accounts of where she may have been, Carter said.
"Last night she lost her child and she was traumatized, so there was a lot going on and we're still working on that," she said.
Garcia's other two children were placed in the custody of their maternal grandmother.
"We needed to make sure they were safe, and we need to complete our investigation," Carter said.
Police and CPS are still investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident and are still trying to determine how the child was shot.
" ... How long she (Garcia) was gone, why there was a gun in the house and where it was are all things we're still trying to work on with law enforcement," Carter said.
Neighbor Sandy Taylor said Garcia ran to her home about noon, saying she had found Michael injured on the floor in their home. When Taylor entered the home, she said she found the boy lying on his side in a pool of blood.
She called 911 because Garcia had just moved in Thursday night and had no phone.
Authorities arrived and took Michael by ambulance to Memorial Hermann-The Texas Medical Center, where he died, said Sgt. Manuel Cruz Jr. of the homicide division. An X-ray determined the boy died from a wound to the head. Police said they later found a gun in the home.
This incident marks the second time in a week a child died after being left unattended.
On Thursday, 3-year-old Dazzalena Escobedo died in the fire in a second-floor apartment of a fourplex in the 8100 block of Lynn. The girl's mother, Tammie Sharma and her live-in boyfriend, Adrian Gonzales, left Dazzalena and her 6-year sister home alone.
The couple were arrested and charged with injury to a child by omission and remain in Harris County Jail.
Sharma worked at night and Gonzales worked during the day, and the two girls were reportedly left alone for a period of time several times a week.
"It's the summer and we know it's hard, but (parents) can find some resources out there, like day care," Carter said. "Just something so your children are not left alone by themselves because so much can happen when children are left by themselves."
Carter urged parents to call local day cares, YMCAs or the Red Cross to find out what kind of child care programs are available.
"There's just too much that can happen," she said. "I think we've seen that this week."
No charges yet against his mother, and there are many accounts of where she may have been
By ANITA HASSAN
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle
A 5-year-old boy who died after being shot in the face in his east Houston home Friday afternoon was alone with two siblings when it happened, authorities said.
Michael Murphy had been left alone with his 6-year-old brother and 3-year-old sister in their home in the 3800 block of Ranch about noon when the boy was shot, said Child Protective Services spokeswoman Gwen Carter.
As of late Saturday afternoon, no charges had been filed against the children's mother, Anna Garcia, police spokeswoman Joanna Abed said.
CPS caseworkers still have not determined where Garcia was when the shooting occurred and heard several accounts of where she may have been, Carter said.
"Last night she lost her child and she was traumatized, so there was a lot going on and we're still working on that," she said.
Garcia's other two children were placed in the custody of their maternal grandmother.
"We needed to make sure they were safe, and we need to complete our investigation," Carter said.
Police and CPS are still investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident and are still trying to determine how the child was shot.
" ... How long she (Garcia) was gone, why there was a gun in the house and where it was are all things we're still trying to work on with law enforcement," Carter said.
Neighbor Sandy Taylor said Garcia ran to her home about noon, saying she had found Michael injured on the floor in their home. When Taylor entered the home, she said she found the boy lying on his side in a pool of blood.
She called 911 because Garcia had just moved in Thursday night and had no phone.
Authorities arrived and took Michael by ambulance to Memorial Hermann-The Texas Medical Center, where he died, said Sgt. Manuel Cruz Jr. of the homicide division. An X-ray determined the boy died from a wound to the head. Police said they later found a gun in the home.
This incident marks the second time in a week a child died after being left unattended.
On Thursday, 3-year-old Dazzalena Escobedo died in the fire in a second-floor apartment of a fourplex in the 8100 block of Lynn. The girl's mother, Tammie Sharma and her live-in boyfriend, Adrian Gonzales, left Dazzalena and her 6-year sister home alone.
The couple were arrested and charged with injury to a child by omission and remain in Harris County Jail.
Sharma worked at night and Gonzales worked during the day, and the two girls were reportedly left alone for a period of time several times a week.
"It's the summer and we know it's hard, but (parents) can find some resources out there, like day care," Carter said. "Just something so your children are not left alone by themselves because so much can happen when children are left by themselves."
Carter urged parents to call local day cares, YMCAs or the Red Cross to find out what kind of child care programs are available.
"There's just too much that can happen," she said. "I think we've seen that this week."