WANTED: Parents charged for involvement in 5-year-old son's death who was shot by 8-year-old
HOUSTON - Two Houston parents are wanted after their young son was shot and killed back in December 2022.
Rufus Leo King, 37, and Latasha Nicole Thompson, 38, are charged with tampering with evidence in the deadly shooting of their 5-year-old Mateen King at 4905 Denmark Street on Dec. 3, 2022, around 12:30 p.m.
Thompson also faces a misdemeanor charge of firearm accessibility to a child, according to court records.
BACKGROUND: 8-year-old allegedly shoots 5-year-old in north Houston, child in critical condition
According to authorities, Houston police responded to a shooting at the address above.
HPD Commander Jonathan Halliday reported Mateen's father, Rufus, took him to LBJ Hospital where he was then air-lifted to Memorial Hermann Medical Center in critical condition. He was pronounced dead on Dec. 12, 2022.
Investigators say Mateen and an 8-year-old boy gained access to a gun in the home and the 8-year-old accidentally shot Mateen.
Sometime after the shooting, the 8-year-old reportedly received a laceration to his head, but officials are unsure how it happened. Halliday says he was taken to LBJ Hospital in stable condition.
Rufus King and Thompson were later identified as suspects in the shooting, officials say. They were charged on July 16.
Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Rufus Leo King and Latasha Nicole Thompson or in this case is urged to contact the HPD Major Assaults & Family Violence Division at 713-308-8800 or speak anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.