Boy, 3, shot with pellet gun, in critical condition

MERCED -- A 3-year-old boy is in critical condition after being shot in the eye Saturday evening by a pellet gun, the Merced County Sheriff's Department reported.

Deputies responded to the scene around 9 p.m. in the 4000 block of North Highway 59 in Merced, according to Deputy Tom MacKenzie.

The child had been at a family barbecue, and some of the victim's older relatives had been shooting cans with the pellet gun. The child's older brother had left the pellet gun out, deputies said.

For more on the story, go to the Merced Sun-Star website.