A boy aged two was shot in the head by his four-year-old brother after a squabble over a toy and a churchgoer opened fire on fellow worshippers, killing seven of them, in a weekend of gun violence across the United States.
Police said the two boys had been squabbling in their Houston home when the younger child threw a toy at his brother. The older sibling went into his mother’s room and took a loaded gun from her bag, shooting his brother once in the temple. The bullet passed through the child’s head.
”The four-year-old was angry … He went and got the gun, put it to his brother’s head and shot the gun,” police sergeant Cameron Grysen told The Houston Chronicle.
The boy was reported to be in a critical condition at Houston’s Ben Taub hospital.
His older brother did not appear to understand what he had done, Grysen told the paper. ”He’s wondering where his brother is, and when his brother is coming back,” Grysen said.
The boys’ mother told police she had bought the gun because of a series of burglaries in her neighbourhood, and that she usually kept it in a safe place. It was unclear whether she will face charges. Under Texas law, children below the age of 10 cannot be charged in a criminal case.
In Wisconsin, a man described by neighbours as a quiet and devout churchgoer opened fire at a weekend service, killing eight people, including himself, and wounding four others.
The shootings took place at a Sheraton hotel just outside Milwaukee, where the Living Church of God congregation meets for services every Saturday. Press reports said on Sunday that the gunman paused at least once to reload his handgun as churchgoers sought cover, or tried to protect family members. The dead included two boys aged 15 and 17, a 72-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman. Three men aged from 44 to 58 died in hospital.
Police named the killer as Terry Ratzmann (44). They said they had not found a clear motive for the killings.
However, officials said they were looking into reports that Ratzmann became upset during a church service a few weeks ago and walked out, and that he also may have been about to lose his job.
About 50-60 people were sitting in a meeting room when Ratzmann walked in from the back and started firing, Police Chief Daniel Tushaus said.
”At this point, we’re unable to determine if he had specific targets or he just shot at random,” police captain Phil Horter said.
Neighbours said Ratzmann was a devout churchgoer and avid gardener who built his own greenhouse and shared homegrown vegetables with his neighbours.
In Atlanta, a suspect who set off a huge manhunt following the courthouse shootings of a judge, a court stenographer and a police officer is expected to appear in court on Monday. Brian Nichols (33) surrendered to authorities on Saturday, waving a white cloth. Police said he killed an immigration official and held a woman hostage for hours before giving himself up. – Guardian Unlimited Â