Man Arrested in Accidental Shooting of Woman by Young Son in Norwalk

A 24-year-old parolee was being held without bail Thursday following his arrest in connection with the accidental shooting of a woman by her young son, who authorities say found a shotgun in the backseat of their car.

Deputies responded about 3:30 p.m. Wednesday to the 14600 block of Dinard Street to investigate a report of gunshot victim at the location, according to Deputy Juanita Navarro-Suarez of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

Upon arrival, they found the woman, a resident of Norwalk, with a gunshot wound to her mid-body, Navarro-Suarez said. She was taken in critical condition to a hospital, where her condition was later upgraded to fair, the deputy said.

She was in stable condition and expected to survive, according to the sheriff's department.

The arrested man was identified as Brandon Ambriz of Norwalk, who was arrested Wednesday and booked on suspicion of possession of a firearm and child endangerment and was being held without bail because he allegedly violated his parole.

No details were immediately released about what led to Ambriz being on parole or why the shotgun was in the car.

"Preliminary information gathered at the scene revealed that the female's three children were in the backseat of the vehicle when one of the children accessed an unsecured shotgun and shot her through the back of the seat," Navarro-Suarez said.

The mother was in the driver's seat when she was wounded. The child was described as being less than 5 years old, according to the sheriff's department.

"The three children in the backseat, another female adult and young child who sat in the front passenger seat were not injured," according to Navarro-Suarez.

The shotgun was recovered.

All four children were taken into the custody of the county Department of Children and Family Services.