Three boys ages 12 to 15 are in the hospital, having been shot by a man Harris County investigators believe they attempted to rob at gunpoint Christmas evening. The shooting happened at the Willow Plaza Apartments on N. Houston Rosslyn Road near Smiling Wood. ABC13 spoke off camera with the girlfriend of the 25-year-old man who allegedly shot the three boys. She said the couple was coming home from a Christmas party at the time of the incident. The woman said she had fallen asleep, and her boyfriend opened the vehicle door to carry her inside when at least four armed boys surrounded them.

Initially, she said her boyfriend thought the robbery was a prank because the boys were so young. One of the boys, who authorities say is 12 years old, is reportedly in critical condition. "One of the police officers was trying to keep him coherent and everything, and he said, 'What did you get for Christmas?'" Bruce Bailey, who witnessed the shooting, said and referred to the 12-year-old as a baby. "Being that age, you're supposed to be with your family," Willow Plaza resident Monique Robledo said. A public information officer for the Harris County Sheriff's Office said the 25-year-old cooperated with investigators. At this time, he is not facing charges.

Three armed boys were shot by a man they tried to rob outside his home in Texas, authorities said. A total of four boys, aged 12 to 14, approached the would-be victim, 25, near his apartment on the 12700 Block of North Houston Rosslyn Road in Houston on Thursday shortly after midnight. The man told police that the boys had pistols, but the man was also armed - and fired at them outside of his Willow Plaza Apartments home. Three of the boys were taken to the hospital, with one 12-year-old in the ICU after being shot multiple times. The other two, 12 and 13 years old, suffered non-fatal injuries, according to the Harris County Sheriff's Office. The boys involved also live in the apartment complex, ABC13 reported. Panicked neighbors sprung into action and called 911 when they saw the injured children. One resident of the apartment complex, Bruce Bailey, said he noticed something was wrong when he heard one of the boys shouting for help.

Deputies detained the man and the fourth child for questioning and several weapons were collected from the crime scene. The adult is said to be cooperating with the ongoing investigation. Even though he was not immediately detained, he stayed at the scene when authorities arrived. Investigators are determining whether the guns the boys used were BB guns or actual pistols. 'Of all things, being Christmas, and this is a child, first thing that comes to my mind is, number one, where is the parent. Number two, if you got here with a gun, what are you doing out here with a gun?' Bailey told KHOU. The sheriff's office was unable to tell DailyMail.com if the juveniles knew the man they tried to rob. HCSO Violent Offenders detectives are conducting the investigation, which will likely go to the Harris County District Attorney's office for grand jury review.

Earlier this year, three children were arrested for robbing a Houston Wells Fargo bank. Dubbed the 'little rascals' by the FBI, the culprits were aged just 11, 12 and 13 when they held up the bank on March 14. Police said they passed a threatening note to a teller and got away on foot with an undisclosed amount of cash. They were believed to be armed, but did not actually show a weapon while robbing the bank. Parents of two of the boys came forward and identified them after pictures of them were released by investigators, according to the Harris County Sheriff's Office. The third boy was recognized by police following a fight. The sheriff's office said a weapon and a distinctive item pictured in one of the photos was recovered.