California

Man Charged in Case of 4-Year-Old Boy Who Accidentally Shot Mother in Car

The three children in the backseat, another woman and young child who sat in the front passenger seat were not injured.

What to Know

  • A parolee was arrested in connection with the accidental shooting of a woman by her young son.
  • 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.
  • Upon arrival, they found the woman, a resident of Norwalk, with a gunshot wound to her mid-body. She is expected to survive.

Felony charges were filed Friday against a parolee who allegedly left a shotgun in the back seat of a car, where authorities say a 4-year-old boy found the weapon and accidentally shot his mother in Norwalk.

Brandon Gilbert Ambriz, 24, of Norwalk, pleaded not guilty to four counts of child abuse -- involving four children who were in the car -- and one count of possession of a firearm by a felon.

The criminal complaint alleges that Ambriz has four prior convictions dating back to 2013 -- most recently in 2017 for first-degree burglary.

Ambriz was arrested Wednesday following the shooting in the 14600 block of Dinard Street.

"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," said Deputy Juanita Navarro-Suarez of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

The mother was in the driver's seat when she was wounded by her son, according to the sheriff's department.

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

Ambriz allegedly left the shotgun in the vehicle, in which children were regularly driven, but was not in the car at the time of the shooting, according to prosecutors.

All four children were placed in the custody of the county Department of Children and Family Services.

Ambriz is due at the Norwalk courthouse on Feb. 1, when a date is scheduled to be set for a hearing to determine if there is sufficient evidence to require him to stand trial.

If convicted as charged, he could face a maximum of more than 25 years in state prison, according to the District Attorney's Office.

Copyright City News Service
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