Police: 6-year-old Accidentally Shoots Self in Banning

Update July 3 11:10 am:

Banning-Beaumont Patch has learned that the litte boy who accidentally shot himself in Banning with a gun he found has been released from the hospital.

The boy was treated for non-life threatening gunshot injuries, and has since been released, according to Banning Police Lieutenant Phil Holder.

The man whose gun it's believed the boy used-- a family member-- remained jailed at the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility and has an arraignment scheduled for Monday at the Banning court, according to jail records.

Original story posted July 4, 2013 at 11:39 pm:

A Banning felon was locked up in the local jail Thursday night after it's believed a six-year-old boy found his gun and accidentally shot himself, police reported.

The shooting happened Wednesday just after 5 p.m. at a home on North Hargrave Street, north of Wilson Street, according to Police Chief Leonard Purvis.

Police were called out to a report of a six-year-old shot in his right thigh and foot, according to a release from Purvis issued Thursday night.

"Officers arrived on scene, administered first aid to the victim, and established a perimeter," the release said.  "A search of the residence and an out building was performed."

A man identified as 34-year-old George Hernandez of Banning was found hiding in the out building— along with "a semi-automatic, 380 caliber handgun," Purvis said. 

Hernandez was arrested on charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm, criminal firearm storage, child endangerment and for violating a community supervised release, according to Purvis.  Jail records indicated he was being held without the possibility of bail at the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in Banning.

It was not immediately clear what relation, if any, Hernandez has to the boy.  As for the boy's condition, an updated report was not available as of the posting of this article.