A mother was shot and critically wounded Wednesday in Norwalk by her own young son after he found a shotgun in the back seat of their car.
A 24-year-old man from Norwalk, Brandon Ambriz, was arrested on various warrants and on suspicion of illegal storage of a firearm and child endangerment, according to the sheriff’s Norwalk Station.
Deputies responded about 3:30 p.m. to the 14600 block of Dinard Street to investigate a report of a gunshot victim at the location, according to Deputy Juanita Navarro-Suarez of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Upon arrival, they found the woman, a resident of Norwalk, with a gunshot wound to her mid-body, Navarro-Suarez said.
Deputies responded to the 14600 block of Dinard Street, Norwalk, and discovered a child sitting in the backseat of a four-door sedan accidentally shot his mother with a shotgun. The victim is listed in fair condition. #Norwalk #LaMirada #Whittier
— LASD Norwalk Station (@NorwalkLASD) January 24, 2019
She was taken to a hospital, where her condition was later upgraded to fair, the deputy said.
“Preliminary information gathered at the scene revealed that the female’s three children were in the back seat of the vehicle when one of the children accessed an unsecured shotgun and shot her through the back of the seat,” Navarro-Suarez said.
The mother was in the driver’s seat when she was wounded. The child is less than 4 years old, according to the sheriff’s department.
“The three children in the backseat, another female adult and young child who sat in the front passenger seat were not injured,” according to Navarro-Suarez.
Ambriz is being held without bail because he allegedly violated his parole. No details were immediately released about what led to Ambriz being on parole or why the shotgun was in the car.
The shotgun was recovered. All four children were taken into the custody of the county Department of Children and Family Services.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with information on the man’s arrest.