A 4-year-old Detroit boy is on the mend after shooting himself in the hand with an unsecured firearm found at home. The incident took place around 12:30 p.m. last Friday on Fullerton Avenue, according to CBS News Detroit. Detroit Police reported the child was rushed to the hospital and is expected to recover, fortunately facing only minor injuries.
As detailed by FOX 2 Detroit, upon arrival at the home, police discovered several handguns and took one adult into custody on an unrelated warrant. After searching the home, police found the weapons unsecured in the bedroom where the child could access them. Caught in the wake of the event, Michigan law states gun owners are to keep firearms unloaded, locked or stored, especially if a child is present in the home.
"It's a tragedy," neighbor Willie Campbell said, recalling the boy's mother's distress when explaining the situation to him. "So when she'd seen me, I walked up over to her, and she came and collapsed in my arms and was crying and said, 'Junior shot himself,'" Campbell told CBS News Detroit. With the boy now stable, the local community and law enforcement alike are grappling with the implications of gun safety negligence in the home.
Detroit Police Capt. Michael Dicicco emphasized the importance of firearm owners securing their guns responsibly. "IIf they have a firearm, which they're allowed to have, if they're allowed to have one, it needs to be secured. It can't just be out and especially down in an area that a small child or anybody can get to. It's a gun owner or gun possessor's responsibility to secure that gun and make sure that no one hurts themselves just like this situation," Dicicco explained, as found in a statement obtained by WXYZ. Officials are contemplating the potential charges against the child's guardians, and in the meantime, Detroit police remind residents that free gun locks are available at every precinct in the city.
