A 16-year-old northwest Harris County boy is dead and his cousin faces a manslaughter charge after a handgun discharged while the cousin tried to take it apart inside a home near Cypress North Houston Boulevard.
Joseph Kelly-Holloway was shot in the abdomen June 30 at a residence in the 17200 block of Dark Cavern Court, the Harris County Sheriff's Office confirmed. He was rushed to the hospital in critical condition. He died July 10.
HCSO homicide detectives determined that Kelly-Holloway's cousin, also 16, was attempting to disassemble the handgun when it fired and struck Kelly-Holloway. The cousin, who is not being identified because of his age, has been charged with manslaughter and booked into the Harris County Juvenile Center, ABC13 reported Aug. 6. CW39 also confirmed the details.
No information has been released about who owned the handgun or how the teens gained access to it.
What Texas law says about minors and firearms
Under Texas law, a person may face criminal liability if a child under 17 gains access to a readily dischargeable firearm and the adult failed to secure it or left it where they knew or should have known the child could reach it. Penalties increase if a child discharges the firearm and someone is killed or seriously injured.
Whether anyone else could face charges in this case has not been announced.
Unintentional child shootings in Texas
In 2023, Texas recorded 36 unintentional shootings by children that resulted in 14 deaths and 23 injuries, according to a Texas Gun Sense report. Firearms were the leading cause of death for children and teens in Texas and nationally, according to 2023 data compiled by the group.
The Texas Department of Public Safety's safe gun storage program recommends storing firearms unloaded and secured with a trigger lock, biometric lock, or gun safe; keeping ammunition locked separately; and restricting access at all times.
How to report
Residents with information about this case can contact the Harris County Sheriff's Office Homicide Unit at 713-274-9100.
