ST. LOUIS – A 5-year-old boy is fighting for his life after being shot in the head over the weekend.

Investigators with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department say it’s unclear who fired the weapon since witness stories are not panning out.

Meanwhile, residents at the LaSalle Park Village complex are coming to grips with the knowledge that a child was shot Sunday at one of the apartments.

“To hear it was a 5-year-old that got shot, it’s really sad, because it happens often in our neighborhood,” Myracle Payne said.

Police claim the boy’s mother initially told them a gunshot came through a window and struck the boy in the head. However, further investigation revealed the mother’s male friend was inside the residence and in possession of a handgun. She believed the gun was out of the child’s reach.

Detectives say it’s still unclear who pulled the trigger.

“It’s sad. I cried because it could have been any one of these kids out here,” Monique Williams said.

The 37-year-old friend drove the boy and his 36-year-old mother to the hospital and left before police arrived. Police are still looking for the gun.

The city’s child abuse unit now handling the investigation.

Representatives with Women’s Voices Raised for Social Justice encourages people to use gunlocks to protect loved ones. Organizers say it’s important to make sure guns in the home are hidden out of the reach of children.

“A secured gun is better around children. We don’t know all the particulars about this child’s injury. That remains to be seen. Regardless, I can only imagine the pain the parents feel for that child,” said Karen Cloyd, director of the Campaign for Common-Sense Gun Solutions.