Boy, 11, shoots himself in face in S. Philadelphia

An 11-year-old boy was critically injured early Thursday when he apparently accidentally shot himself in the face while handling a gun in his parents' bedroom in their South Philadelphia home, police said.

Police said the boy's parents and four other children were in the home when the gun went off about 12:30 a.m. in the house on the 2600 block of South Hicks Street, but where they were at the time is under investigation.

The boy's parents drove him to Methodist Hospital and doctors there transferred him to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, police said.

Chief Inspector Scott Small said doctors at Children's Hospital reported that they expect the boy to survive. His condition was upgraded from critical to stable later in the morning.

The handgun was recovered from the parents' bedroom, police said.

No charges have been filed.