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He was listed in critical condition after undergoing a second surgery since the shooting. Police say the other young boys that were with him at the time are also having a hard time.
"My heart goes out to everybody, the family members of the 11-year-old and to the juveniles that were just there playing with this kid. I mean, these are childhood friends and now one of them is seriously hurt," said Oakland police officer Jeff Thomason.
Police say four boys were playing in the garage of an apartment building near Lake Merrit in Oakland when they found the sawed-off shotgun. Police say it was dusty, like it had been there awhile.
"It was just there in a corner in the garage, laying up against some other boxes and they were able to grab it and start playing with it. The children actually thought that the firearm was unloaded," Thomason explained.
One 10-year-old boy pulled the trigger, shooting the 11-year-old at close range in the face. Police believe it was an accident and do not plan to charge any of the boys with a crime.
But, they do want to find the gun's owner.
"We're going to look at serious charges for this person so this never happens again. And, we want people, especially gun owners out there, to know that if you have a loaded firearm and you have children around, it is your responsibility to lock that firearm up," Thomason said.
Police plan to call in investigators from the ATF on Monday to get some help finding the gun owner who could face weapons charges and child endangerment.
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