DETROIT – For the second time in the span of a week, a child in Detroit found an unsecured gun in a home and accidentally pulled the trigger.
“We’ve seen tragedy after tragedy. It’s too many stories like this,” Detroit police Chief James Craig said. “No child should ever be shot because of reckless and irresponsible behavior with them. It just shouldn’t happen”.
In the most recent incident, it was a 4-year-old boy who shot himself after finding a gun in his home on Hubbell Avenue. Police said the parent of the child was in another room with a friend during the time of the incident.
“Visiting a companion and placing a gun underneath the hat, and then going into another part of the house. What do you think’s going to happen when children are in a home?” Craig said.
Just last week an 18-month-old boy shot and killed his 5-year-old cousin in a home on Sturtevant Street.
“Another tragic situation where another gun owner falls asleep with a gun,” Craig said. “How does that happen? It’s called being irresponsible,” Craig said. “If you’re a gun owner and you invite guests to your home and there’s children or adults that you may not want to have access -- you need to secure the weapons. That’s the bottom line. The weapons need to be secured and only you should have access to that weapon.”
The 4-year-old who shot himself is expected to be OK. Craig said prosecutors will be going after gun owners in both situations.