WANTED: Parents charged after boy, 8, fatally shoots 5-year-old after gaining access to gun

Houston police were searching for parents of a 5-year-old who was accidentally shot and killed by another child after gaining access to a handgun in 2022.

The victim’s parents, Rufus Leo King, 37, and Latasha Nicole Thompson, 38, were charged with tampering with evidence. Thompson was also charged with misdemeanor firearm accessibility to a child.

According to Houston police, on December 3, 2022, patrol officers responded around 12:30 p.m. to a shooting call in the 4900 block of Denmark Street and found Mateen King suffering from a gunshot wound. The boy was transported by private vehicle to a nearby hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries on Dec. 12, 2022.

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During the investigation, officers learned Mateen and an 8-year-old boy gained access to a firearm that was located inside the residence. Mateen was accidently shot by the 8-year-old.

Further investigation identified King and Thompson, Mateen’s parents, as suspects in this incident and they were subsequently charged on July 16.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of King and Thompson is urged to contact the HPD Major Assaults & Family Violence Division at 713-308-8800 or speak anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.