7-year-old Houston-area boy shot and killed while in bed

Sheriff Gonzalez says he is ‘outraged’ to learn of the child’s death in a ‘senseless act of gun violence’

A seven-year-old boy in Houston died after being shot on Sunday while he was in bed, officials from the Harris County Sheriff department said on Monday.

The child Paul Vasquez was at his home with his mother and two older brothers when the incident of drive-by shooting took place on Sunday morning around 5am.

Authorities from the Harris County Sheriff’s office said that the people in the sedan fired multiple shots into the home from their vehicle, which was white or grey in colour and had four-doors.

The police units were dispatched to 12821 McNair Street after receiving a call reporting the shooting incident.

“Upon their arrival on scene they [Harris County Sheriff’s Office patrol units] found that 7 year old Paul Vasquez had been shot during a drive by shooting,” the statement from the sheriff’s office said.

It added that the child was transported to Ben Taub hospital with a gunshot wound to the chest where he was pronounced dead.

Paul was in the bed when one of the shots fired hit him and he was able to get up to inform his mom that he had been struck before collapsing, according to a report by the Fox Houston.

Officials and the investigators probing the case have not found the motive for the shooting.

No arrests have been made so far in the case.

The county’s sheriff Ed Gonzalez said he was “outraged” to learn of the child’s death in a “senseless act of gun violence”.

“Outraged to learn that a 7-year-old child was killed during a drive-by shooting. I urge the community to come forward with any information related to this senseless act of gun violence,” Mr Gonzalez said on Twitter.

Lamenting the case of gun violence, he added: "A child was killed during a drive-by shooting this morning. This is the daily toll of gun violence. Gun violence in the US can’t be viewed as a solitary issue.”

"Let’s not accept daily gun violence as our norm. Our hearts go out to all those grieving in the wake of these shootings. We can and we must do more to stop gun violence," the Harris County Sheriff said.