A tragic incident occurred in St. Louis when a child found a gun and shot himself. WBKO reports that a 2-year-old boy died after shooting himself in the head in an AutoZone parking lot in the city on Monday. Following the heartbreaking event, St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones urged residents to "take steps as responsible gun owners to protect our families and communities," emphasizing the importance of storing firearms securely and out of children's reach.
The boy's father, 44-year-old Carnell Berry, has been charged in connection to the situation, as disclosed by court documents. FOX 2 reported that Berry left a handgun on the floor of a bedroom while changing clothes, then leaving the room without securing the gun or moving it elsewhere, which the child found and subsequently shot himself in the hand with.
Berry is facing charges of endangering the welfare of a child and is being held on a $100,000 cash only bond with no 10% option, according to First Alert 4. The incident reportedly happened at a residence in the 7300 block of Burrwood in north St. Louis County. After being shot, the child was taken to Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital for medical attention, but the current state of his condition has not been released.
In response to the shooting and the subsequent charge, Mayor Jones called for gun safety awareness and responsible ownership. Having "lost another one of our babies in an accidental shooting today,” Jones stated the importance of gun locks and ensuring firearms are not accessible to children, as mentioned on WBKO.
