Shooting in Arlington: Teen told police he bought the gun from another teen

A 17-year-old girl is in critical condition after a co-worker shot her as she sat in the front passenger seat of a car Thursday night.

Arlington police arrested two more 17-year-olds, Alejandro Perez and Giancarlo Kuk, after the shooting, which happened in the parking lot of the Taco Cabana at 4721 S. Cooper St., just after 10 p.m.

Kuk was sitting in the driver's seat and Perez was in the back seat, Lt. Christopher Cook, police spokesman, said Friday. Perez told investigators that he took the magazine out of the gun but didn't realize there was still a bullet in the chamber.

When he pulled the trigger, the bullet went through the seat and into the girl's torso. She was taken to Medical City Arlington.

"He freaked out, and he runs across the street and throws the gun in a dumpster by the Office Max," Cook said.

Perez faces a charge of tampering with evidence for allegedly tossing the gun in the dumpster. Kuk faces a charge of tampering with identification numbers, according to Arlington jail records. Cook said the serial number on the gun had been scratched off.

Additional charges may be added for one or both teens for possession of a stolen firearm. Cook said police are considering the shooting accidental.

Kuk also told police he bought the gun from a student who attends Lamar High School. Police are trying to identify that student and find the gun's real owner.

Texas law prohibits anyone under 21 from possessing a handgun.

All three teens in the car are employees of the Taco Cabana near the intersection of South Cooper Street and West Bardin Road.

Matthew Martinez: 817-390-7667; @MCTinez817

This story was originally published February 16, 2018 at 9:55 AM with the headline "Shooting in Arlington: Teen told police he bought the gun from another teen."