A 16-year-old was arrested Sunday night after his 12-year-old brother was shot in the head inside a North Toledo apartment, authorities said. Officers were called just after 8 p.m. to the North Towne Village Apartments, where they found the child critically injured; he was rushed to a hospital and later listed as stable, according to police.
Detectives said the shooting remains under active investigation. Early information indicates the incident happened inside a unit at the complex and that the 911 call originated from the apartment. Investigators are interviewing family members, collecting statements from any witnesses who were present, and examining physical evidence recovered from the scene. Officials did not immediately discuss a possible motive or whether the gun was legally possessed. The names of the siblings were not released because of their ages.
Responding officers secured the hallway and living areas as medics worked on the victim. Crime-scene technicians photographed rooms, documented bloodstains and collected a handgun and spent casing for laboratory analysis, according to an investigative summary described by officials. Detectives also canvassed neighboring units for video and doorbell footage showing comings and goings before the 8 p.m. call. No other injuries were reported. A police spokesperson said additional details would depend on interviews with relatives and the results of forensic testing.
The 16-year-old was taken to a juvenile detention facility on a preliminary count related to the shooting while prosecutors review the case for formal charges. Officials did not say whether the teen made a statement to investigators. The Lucas County Prosecutor’s Office will determine how the case proceeds, including whether to seek additional counts tied to weapon possession or child endangering. Juvenile court procedures typically begin with a detention hearing, followed by a probable-cause review that can take several days.
Residents in the North Towne Village complex described a heavy police presence for several hours Sunday night. Patrol cars blocked a stretch of the parking lot as technicians moved in and out with paper evidence bags. By late evening, the apartment door was sealed with crime-scene tape and officers continued to take statements from neighbors. A nearby tenant said the complex was quiet earlier in the day, with most activity beginning after sunset as first responders converged on the building.
Police said the 12-year-old remains under medical care, and that detectives are working to establish a precise timeline of events inside the apartment. Investigators are examining how the firearm was obtained, who had access to it and whether any adults were present in the hours leading up to the shooting. Officials said updates will be released as the case moves from the initial fact-gathering stage to charging decisions in juvenile court.
As of Tuesday, the teen was in custody and the case file was being assembled for prosecutors, with lab testing pending on the recovered weapon and ballistic evidence.
Author note: Last updated January 29, 2026.