PLAIN CITY, Weber County — A 9-year-old boy was shot in the face with a gun held by another child in Plain City Thursday.

The boys were playing with a rifle that accidentally went off, Weber County Sheriff's Capt. Klint Anderson said. He said the boy was shot near the mouth and was transported in serious condition to the hospital.

Several children — three siblings and a friend — were home alone near 1500 North and 4200 West, playing together when they went to a closet where some guns were being stored.

"The kids knew there was a BB gun in the closet, and they took them out to play with them," Anderson said.

Among the other guns was a .22-caliber rifle. He said it is unknown whether the children loaded the gun or if it was already loaded in the closet. He said it was possible the father loaded it in preparation for a hunting outing he was planning for today.

An 11-year-old, thinking the gun wasn't loaded, aimed it at the boy and fired, shooting the boy in the face.

Anderson said the boy's injuries were not expected to be life-threatening.

"He was conscious enough to run across the street to get help," he said.

The other children were still at the home when police arrived and were helping to piece together the situation. The boy was taken to Ogden Regional Medical Center and then transferred to Primary Children's Medical Center where he remained in serious but stable condition.

"He's extremely lucky," Anderson said. "It could've been a lot worse."

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 200,000 people per year in the United States are injured by accidental gunshots.

A 2004 report from the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control states that firearms injury is the second-leading cause of non-natural death in childhood and adolescence, and most are hit with weapons found in the home.

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E-mail: wleonard@desnews.com