Boy helping brother track stolen vehicle gets shot by car thief, Texas police say

A boy was shot in Houston while helping his brother track down a stolen vehicle, Texas authorities told news outlets.

The Harris County Sheriff’s Office said the shooting happened after 9 p.m. on Oct. 11, along a road on Houston’s northeast side, KHOU reported.

The older brother’s car had been stolen and, instead of contacting police, he decided to try to find it using a GPS monitor inside the vehicle, the sheriff’s office told the station.

The brothers got into a family member’s pickup truck, eventually spotted the stolen car and started following it, deputies told KTRK.

The accused thief took notice and opened fire, striking the boy, investigators told the outlet. The brothers stopped the pursuit and called for help.

Deputies said the suspect was gone when they arrived and the car was later found abandoned, KPRC reported.

The boy was taken to a hospital and is in stable condition, deputies told the station. No arrests have been made as of Oct. 12.

This story was originally published October 12, 2023 at 7:16 AM with the headline "Boy helping brother track stolen vehicle gets shot by car thief, Texas police say."