A man in his early 20s was hospitalized after a child found an unsecured gun and fired it Wednesday night in DeKalb County, police said. The man is expected to survive, but the circumstances surrounding how the firearm was left accessible remain unclear. It is another metro Atlanta shooting involving a child and a gun that was not properly secured.
Officers responded around 8 p.m. and found the man suffering from a gunshot wound, according to Atlanta News First. He was taken to a hospital, and police said no charges had been announced in the case.
DeKalb Police Point Residents To Free Gun Locks
DeKalb County has previously promoted free firearm-storage resources through community safety events. A DeKalb County release said residents could receive free gun safes at a 2024 police safety fair, part of the county’s effort to reduce preventable shootings.
Police are now reminding residents that free gun locks can be picked up at any of the department’s four precincts, Atlanta News First reported. The department has not publicly identified the child or released additional details about the gun’s owner.
Recent Child-Involved Shootings Have Raised Similar Warnings
The latest shooting follows a March 2 incident in which DeKalb County police said a 21-year-old accidentally shot his 9-year-old brother while moving a gun inside a Stone Mountain apartment, according to WSB-TV. The younger child was expected to recover, while the older brother faced a reckless-conduct charge.
In July 2025, a 5-year-old boy in DeKalb County was fatally shot by his twin brother after the child accessed a loaded gun, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. The boy’s mother was later charged in connection with the death, underscoring the serious consequences that can follow when firearms are accessible to children.
