A 3-year-old child was shot and killed overnight in Milledgeville, Georgia, after police say the child and two siblings gained access to a gun inside the family home. The child's father was inside the home at the time and has been taken into custody for questioning, though no charges have yet been filed.
Call Came In Just Before 1 A.M.
According to Atlanta News First, Milledgeville police received a call about the shooting around 12:50 a.m. in the 1100 block of Dunlap Road. Officers transported the child to a hospital in a patrol vehicle, and the child later died, the outlet reported.
Investigators believe the 3-year-old and two siblings, ages 5 and 7, gained access to a gun inside the home, per the same report. The father was inside the residence when the shooting happened and was taken into custody for questioning, though it remains unclear what, if any, outcome that questioning produced.
Search Warrant Executed, Gun Seized
Officers executed a search warrant at the home and seized the gun believed to have been used in the shooting, the station's report notes. Police said charges are pending in the case, though details on who might ultimately face charges have not been released.
Georgia's Division of Family and Children Services responded to the incident and will conduct an investigation into the children's living circumstances, according to the same account. No further details about the surviving siblings' condition or the family's situation have been disclosed.
Part of a Broader Pattern in Georgia
Cases of young children accessing firearms inside Georgia homes have drawn scrutiny before. A 2024 report from WTNH/AP noted that a Georgia school shooting had stirred debate about safe-storage laws for firearms in the state. That debate followed the case of Colin Gray, who was charged in connection with the Apalachee High School shooting after allegedly letting his son possess a weapon, according to a WTNH/AP report from that time.
Gray was charged with second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter in connection with that case. The Milledgeville shooting is a separate incident, and no comparison of charges or outcomes between the two cases can be drawn at this time.
No further details about the 3-year-old's identity, the exact circumstances of how the gun was stored, or the specific charges under consideration have been released. Hoodline will update this story as police and DFCS release additional information.
