A 6-year-old Detroit boy is recovering from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the thumb after finding an unsecured firearm in his home. The Detroit Police Department responded to the incident around 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday in the 3100 block of South Ethel Street, as first reported by CBS News Detroit. Upon arrival, authorities discovered that the child had entered a room within the residence, emerged with the gun, and subsequently shot himself.
Deputy Chief Jacqueline Pritchett, according to The Detroit News, stated, "The child goes into the home in an unknown room and then comes outside with the firearm." The boy's grandmother was present in the home at the time of the shooting, but the gun's ownership remains uncertain. Pritchett expressed a sentiment shared by many when she said, "I believe as a parent, we have a parental responsibility and a moral obligation to keep our children safe."
The boy was taken to a Metro Detroit hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, reports ClickOnDetroit. This incident arrives on the heels of Michigan's new safe storage law that mandates firearm owners to keep their guns locked away, unloaded, and either fitted with a locking device or secured inside a locked container when a minor is known or could reasonably be on the premises.
In a statement obtained by CBS News Detroit, Deputy Chief Pritchett noted the city of Detroit’s strong stance on firearm safety, "We have to ensure that if you have a firearm, that firearm should be with the lock on it. The city of Detroit precincts, all 12 precincts, give out locks each and every day at no charge." The incident is under investigation by the department's child abuse unit as standard protocol. Officials have indicated that the findings will be sent to the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office for review. Damian Young, a neighbor, told CBS Detroit in no uncertain terms, that common sense would dictate the secure storage of firearms, "It's common sense; why would you have a gun lying around out in the open instead of having it up high in a safe box? Like, come on. A lot of people just not caring no more these days."
