A 16-year-old was arrested after police said he shot his 12-year-old brother in the head inside a North Towne Village apartment just after 8 p.m. Sunday. The 12-year-old was taken to a hospital in critical condition and stabilized later that night, according to police.
The case remains in juvenile court as investigators sort out what happened inside the apartment. Police said the older brother was booked on a felonious assault charge and entered a denial at a court hearing Tuesday. A second 16-year-old who was with the brothers is accused of taking the gun and hiding it at a park; he was charged with obstruction of justice and released on electronic monitoring. Authorities have not released the teens’ names because they are juveniles, and investigators have not said what led to the gunfire.
Officers responded to the North Towne Village Apartments on Sunday after a 911 call came from inside the unit, police said. When officers arrived, they found the 12-year-old with a gunshot wound to the head and called for medics. The shooting happened inside the apartment, according to a Toledo police sergeant at the scene. Detectives interviewed people who were present and collected evidence from the apartment and surrounding area. “There was no ongoing threat to the public,” an officer at the scene said in a brief statement Sunday night.
Court officials said the accused 16-year-old was taken to the Lucas County Juvenile Justice Center on a felonious assault count. Prosecutors said the other teen admitted to police where he put the gun before officers recovered it from a park. As a condition of his release, the obstruction defendant must attend school regularly and avoid any contact with others tied to the case, according to the court. Police said neither teen had a prior criminal record. It remains unknown who owns the firearm, how the teens obtained it, or whether the weapon had been secured before the shooting.
North Towne Village sits near Toledo’s northern retail corridor, a cluster of apartments and shopping centers just off I-75. Police and EMS calls to the area are common, but investigators described this case as centered on a single apartment and a small group of teens. Similar family-involved shootings in Ohio have kept attention on juvenile gun access and storage, though authorities in this case have not detailed how the handgun entered the home. The department has not said whether any adults could face charges related to possession or storage pending the outcome of the investigation.
The accused shooter appeared in juvenile court Tuesday and entered a denial, a standard first step in juvenile proceedings. A future hearing date had not been announced as of Sunday, Feb. 1. Detectives continue to review interviews and evidence, including statements about the gun’s path from the apartment to the park where it was found. Any potential additional charges, including evidence tampering or weapons offenses, would be determined by prosecutors after police complete their reports and forward the case.
Neighbors said squad cars and an ambulance lined the complex as officers moved people away from the unit. A tow truck idled near the entrance while detectives went in and out carrying paper bags and evidence kits. By late evening, police tape cordoned off the entryway as temperatures fell and a small crowd gathered near the parking lot lights. “It was quiet and then suddenly sirens everywhere,” said a resident who declined to give his name. “They were in that building for hours.”
As of Feb. 1, the 12-year-old’s condition beyond initial stabilization had not been updated by police. Investigators said they will release further information after additional interviews and lab work are complete and once the juvenile court schedules the next hearing.
Author note: Last updated February 1, 2026.