LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A 15-year-old in Las Vegas is fighting for his life after playing with an unattended handgun and shooting himself in the face on Monday.
The teen was transferred to UMC in critical condition, and may still die from injuries he is currently receiving life-altering surgeries for, according to investigators with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD)
On June 26, police were called to an apartment of a shooting involving a young boy. After learning the circumstances of the incident, LVMPD arrested his older brother.
Javier Campos was arrested the same day of what has now been deemed by police to be an accidental shooting.
According to LVMPD's arrest report, Campos told the 15-year-old "the gun is on the bed, don't mess with it, a bullet is in the chamber," but the boy at some point started playing with the laser on the gun with his finger on the trigger and accidentally shot himself in the face.
Police say this angered Campos who then began yelling and "punching everything" because he had warned his younger brother before about touching the weapon with his fingers on the trigger.
The boy froze, standing up with swollen facial features and blood pouring out of his mouth as Campos told everyone in the apartment to leave and hide the gun, according to the arrest report.
When police arrived, they say they found human teeth, some still attached to their gums, around the apartment and communicated with Campos who was in police custody to locate the weapon.
The gun was found in a bag under a bush nearby with the serial number scratched off, according to LVMPD.
Campos was then charged with the following crimes:
- First degree child endangerment with a deadly weapon
- Possession of a gun with a removed serial number
Police say the boy's mother was with another one of her sons at a doctors appointment when she learned of the incident and rushed home.
Las Vegas police say during an interview with officers, someone in the apartment at the time of the incident did not believe the 15-year-old was suicidal but that he may have been under the influence of marijuana or Xanax.
