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A young boy continues fighting for his life after he was shot in the head while watching July 4th fireworks in South Los Angeles Tuesday night.

The incident happened around 9 p.m. as the victim, 6-year-old Bryan Robles, Jr., was standing outside his apartment building in the 700 block of East 40th Place, according to Los Angeles police.

Neighbors told KTLA there were so many loud fireworks going off, it was hard to notice the gunshots at first.

Robles’ parents noticed the boy had been struck by something falling from the sky but didn’t know what it was at first. Then panic ensued.

“We just heard screaming,” said Margarita Orellano, a neighbor across the street. “My husband, my son and I approached to help them out. My husband grabbed the baby to give him first aid, to see if he had just fallen or something, but he was bleeding from the head.”

Amid the panic, Orellano said her 911 calls went unanswered Tuesday night.

“I, myself, made at least 10 calls, and obviously else around us did multiple calls and the sad part was 911 never answered,” Orellano said.

A child was shot watching fireworks on the 4th of July
A 5-year-old boy was struck and killed by what appeared to be a stray bullet on July 4, 2023. (KTLA)

In a panic, Orellano placed the child and his mother in her SUV and decided to head to the hospital.

“Mom got desperate and that’s when I decided, ‘Let’s start moving,’” Orellano said. “We put him in the car and we started moving to the hospital. On the way to the hospital, 911 actually finally answered, so we put him down on the concrete because he was going in and out of consciousness.”

Orellano said she was able to flag a patrol vehicle nearby. The officer gave the boy first aid before paramedics eventually took the child to the hospital. The boy was unconscious and not breathing at the time, police said.

He was admitted to the ICU where he remains in critical condition following surgery on Wednesday morning.

“He’s 6 years old,” said Salvador, a distraught neighbor. “He didn’t even get to live his life. Just because people want to play with guns and start shooting in the air.”

It’s unclear where the gunshot originated from and investigators have not determined whether it was a stray bullet that struck the boy or if the shooting was intentional.

“Obviously there were a lot of fireworks, a lot of noise. We don’t know,” said LAPD. “We are really looking into this to find out exactly what happened.

Neighbors and loved ones remain distraught and on edge following the terrifying incident.

“I have an almost 6-year-old too,” said Orellano. “I have kids, four of my own, so it just breaks my heart as a mother. It just breaks you.”

Investigators are asking anyone with information to contact LAPD at 1-877-275-5273. So far, arrests have been made.