A 16-year-old boy returned to his Dayton group home Sunday morning with a gunshot wound and told police he had been carrying a firearm and attempted to fire back before the weapon malfunctioned. He was hospitalized with injuries described as non-life-threatening and later told officers he had discarded the gun before returning to the home.
Dayton police officers were dispatched to the 100 block of E. Beechwood Avenue after 11 a.m. Sunday, according to the Dayton Daily News. A group-home worker told officers the teenager had a history of leaving without permission and had been away before returning injured. As Yahoo News reports, he was taken to an area hospital, where his injuries were not considered life-threatening.
Teen Says His Own Gun Jammed
The teenager told officers he was carrying a firearm when he was shot and tried to return fire, but said the weapon malfunctioned, according to the Dayton Daily News account. He also said he discarded the gun before going back to the group home. Officers told him that carrying a firearm at his age is illegal.
Police searched locations identified by the teenager in connection with the shooting but reported finding no corroborating evidence there. Lieutenant Eric Sheldon said the teenager did not indicate an interest in community safety or in stopping his illegal possession of firearms, according to the Dayton Daily News.
What Ohio law and youth programs address
Ohio Revised Code Section 2923.21 makes improperly furnishing a firearm to a person under 18 a fifth-degree felony, subject to exceptions for lawful hunting, sporting or educational purposes under adult supervision, according to the Ohio Revised Code. The provision concerns furnishing a firearm to a minor; it does not, by itself, establish who supplied the weapon or determine whether charges will result in a case where a juvenile was injured and no suspect has been identified.
The U.S. Administration for Children and Families says federal runaway-youth programs can provide emergency shelter, health care, counseling, family reunification and aftercare. Its Transitional Living Program serves young people ages 16 to under 22 through supervised group homes and related services. The supplied reporting does not identify a Dayton-specific program response to this incident or document local efforts involving runaway episodes, firearm access or violence.
A Pattern of Running Away Since Early 2025
Police records reportedly identify the teenager in numerous missing-person and unruly-child reports dating to January 2025, according to Yahoo News. The group-home worker also described repeated departures without permission before Sunday's incident.
The case adds to a string of shootings involving young people in Dayton this year. In a separate incident, a shooting on the 600 block of Ingram Street left a 20-year-old man dead and a 17-year-old juvenile injured, according to WDTN. The juvenile in that shooting also sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to a nearby hospital, while the Montgomery County Coroner's Office identified the man killed as Jordan Robinson. WDTN reported that shooting remained under active investigation by the Dayton Police Department's Homicide Unit.
No arrests or charges tied to Sunday's shooting have been reported, and police have not identified another person involved. The available accounts do not say whether investigators found additional evidence beyond the teenager's account.
