A Texas man was in custody Sunday for firing a real pistol at a weekend water gun fight — and striking a 15-year-old girl, authorities said.
Harris County Constable Lt. Charles Hoover told NBC News that the girl, who was struck in her shoulder near her neck, suffered non-life threatening injuries. It was unclear if she was still hospitalized, he added.
The man, who Hoover declined to identify, was in his 40s and was not related to the victim, Hoover said, adding that he was charged with deadly conduct.
The incident happened on Saturday around 5 p.m. CT in Spring, a small suburb north of Houston, during what Hoover said was probably a barbecue.
"We come around here to get home and there's two people playing, like they're having a water gun fight," neighbor Rasheed Seals told NBC affiliate KPRC.
Then one of them — the man in his 40s — went to his car to get dry clothes, another neighbor, Micah Stewart, told KPRC.
“He must have had the gun so he started playing with it. I thought he probably had it on safety and he accidentally shot the girl in her collar bone area," Stewart said.
"It was crazy, like you would never expect somebody to bring a gun to a barbecue, or a family gathering at all," Stewart added.
Citing an ongoing investigation, Hoover declined to provide additional details surrounding the shooting.
A bullet also hit a car five houses away, KPRC reported.
"Don't play with guns, not the right choice," said Seals.
