3-year-old Arlington boy dies in apparent accidental shooting by relative, police say
A 3-year-old boy died after being shot in the head in Arlington on Monday in what police said appears to be an accidental shooting by a family member.
The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the boy as Thomas Maybery.
Arlington police responded to a shooting call in the 4100 block of Maple Springs Drive at 12:22 p.m., according to a press release. When they arrived, officers found the child with a gunshot wound to the head.
Police said their investigation indicates an adult relative in the home was cleaning a gun, which went off, shooting the child and the adult. The adult, whose exact relationship to the child has not been released, sustained non-life-threatening injuries, police said.
No charges have been filed as of Tuesday and the case will be handed over to the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office, Arlington police spokesperson Jesse Minton said.
First responders tried to save the boy’s life on the scene, but he was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Neighbors Glen and Brenda Caughron have lived next door to the family for six or seven years. Glen Caughron said he came home from work Monday and heard the news about Thomas from another neighbor.
“It’s nothing you want to come home to,” he said. “It’s terrible.”
He said the family also has a preteen son who plays with another neighbor often.
His wife, Brenda Caughron, started to cry as she described seeing the older brother help the 3-year-old get down from the truck last week.
“I don’t know know what happened, but I can’t imagine what they’re going through,” she said.
The Caughrons said when they visited the family years ago, the father showed them several guns that he owned. Brenda Caughron said he kept them locked up. She said she was home at the time of the shooting, but did not hear anything.
“Regardless of how it happened, it’s horrible,” Glen Caughron said. “All it takes is a loaded weapon that you don’t think is loaded.”
Akram Suleimen has lived in the house across the street on Maple Springs Drive for 22 years. He said he does not know the family well, but he saw the two boys playing outside often and would wave to the parents. He saw the police cars outside on Monday and thought something bad happened, but did not know Thomas had been shot until Monday evening.
“My heart goes to them,” he said.
Roger and Robert Cody are two brothers who live three houses down from the family. They described them as a “good Christian family” and said they often made small talk about church.
This story was originally published July 20, 2020 at 4:49 PM.
