HoustonChronicle.com -- http://www.HoustonChronicle.com | Section: Front page
Aug. 15, 2004, 11:24PM
Gunshot kills girl, 5, in her home
Stepfather says he fired the shot after mistaking her for a burglar
By MIKE GLENN
Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle
A Houston man shot and killed his 5-year-old stepdaughter early Sunday after mistaking her for a burglar in their northeast Houston home, police said.
Agun Ortega Pina, 25, told detectives he reached for his gun about 1 a.m. when he heard suspicious noises inside his house in the 2800 block of Kentucky.
Pina fired a single shot when his stepdaughter, Alejandra Hernandez, tried to open the door to his bedroom, where he and his wife had been sleeping. Pina, who has not been charged, told police he thought someone was breaking into his bedroom.
Family friend Max Gutierrez spoke with Pina soon after the girl was shot.
"He has a broken heart," Gutierrez said. "He told me, 'I can't believe it. I feel bad.'"
Silverio Portillo was staying at the home when Pina fired the shot that struck the child in the chest.
"I just woke up and Alejandra was right there on the floor," a still-shaken Portillo said through an interpreter.
Portillo helped the couple carry their wounded child to the family's van.
"She was alive, she was breathing," he said.
The child was rushed to LBJ Hospital, where she later died. Police said the case will be sent to a Harris County grand jury for review.
Hours after the child's death, shocked neighbors gathered across from their home.
"The family was very happy," said Sammy Gomez, who lives next door.
Pina often brought his young stepdaughter to the park and let her tag along when he had errands to run, Gutierrez said.
One of Alejandra's friends, 11-year-old Juan Rodriguez, was devastated when his parents told him about her death.
"She was like my little sister. She liked to share everything," Rodriguez said.
Neighbors corroborated Pina's fears about criminals breaking into area homes. He posted no trespassing signs and wrapped steel bars around the ground-mounted air conditioner unit. A motion-detection light over the driveway flashes on, even during the day, when somebody walks by the house.
The girl's parents could not be reached for comment Sunday. Neighbors said they were staying with relatives while making funeral arrangements.
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