A 4-year-old boy in Gary, Indiana, found an unsecured firearm inside a purse, leading to an accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound. The incident took place late Tuesday afternoon, marking the second time in two weeks that children 5 and under have suffered from unsecured firearms in their vicinity, according to a Chicago Tribune report.
At the moment of the accident, the father was watching television while the child's mother took a shower. The gunshot alerted the boy's parents, who rushed him to Methodist Hospital's Northlake campus, where his condition remains unknown as per the FOX 32 report.
This incident shares a somber connection with another tragedy that took place only two weeks earlier. In that case, 5-year-old Edan Oliver Johnson died from a single gunshot wound in a home in the 2400 block of Filmore Street. According to the Chicago Tribune, he was visiting relatives at the time, along with a 17-year-old girl from Chicago. A 32-year-old man, also from Chicago, had returned to the house with the homeowners' permission to check on the children. He admitted to police that he had removed his handgun from his person before falling asleep. It was this unsecured weapon that led to the young boy's tragic demise.
As of now, no charges have been filed against the adult involved in the earlier incident. Gary Police are still investigating both cases, with Cmdr. Sam Roberts keeping the public informed. Anyone possessing any information regarding either of these heart-rending occurrences is urged to contact the Violent Crimes Unit at (219) 881-1210.
