PHOENIX — Police say a 10-year-old boy was hurt in a shooting at a Phoenix apartment complex on Monday morning.
Officials were called to the residence near 19th and Peoria avenues around 6:30 a.m.
Police at the scene said the child was taken to the hospital with serious injuries, but is expected to survive.
According to police documents, 47-year-old Jason J. Wroten was recklessly handling a handgun which led to his son being shot in the abdomen.
Wroten originally told officers that he was outside with his son when an unknown person, possibly in a car, shot multiple times in their direction, hitting the child.
Police did not discover any evidence of the shooting in the outdoor area and no witnesses saw the shooting occur.
The child’s mother and brother, who were not home at the time of the incident, denied having firearms in the residence. Wroten was not available for questioning at the time of the report, police say.
Later on, Wroten was interviewed by police and continued to say a drive-by shooting occurred. He changed his story to say he was teaching his son to use and load the gun when he took the gun back and fired it accidentally.
Wroten said he immediately called for help and returned the gun to the safe located in his bedroom.
The child was taken to the hospital and underwent several hours of surgery for serious injuries.
Investigators learned that Wroten is a prohibited possessor after serving a one-year prison sentence for drugs and credit card theft.
He was booked into jail on charges of weapons violations and endangerment.
