A tragic incident unfolded on Detroit's east side when a 4-year-old boy accidentally shot himself in the hand with a firearm he found under a pillow. The Detroit News reports that the Detroit Police Department responded to a call from the 18800 block of Russell shortly before 10 a.m. today. The child's father was arrested following the shooting.
According to Deputy Chief Arnold Williams, the father had been napping with his firearm beneath a pillow when his son accidentally discharged the weapon. "The father said he had his firearm under his pillow. Somehow, the child got a hold of the firearm and ended up shooting himself in the right hand," Williams stated in a briefing covered by ClickOnDetroit. The injured boy was transported to an area hospital and is expected to recover.
This incident highlights ongoing safety concerns surrounding unsecured firearms in homes with children. As per WXYZ, Deputy Chief Williams emphasized, "Right now, one of the biggest issues we have is with parents who have firearms or family members who have a firearm inside the home, and those firearms aren't being secured." He reiterated the legal responsibility of gun owners to keep their weapons inaccessible to children, reminding them that failure to do so is a criminal offense.
