A 4-year-old boy was injured Sunday night after he grabbed an unattended, unsecured gun that had been left on a couch inside a Bellefontaine Neighbors home and accidentally fired a single round, wounding his own hand. Police say the boy was taken to the hospital and was listed in stable condition. A man was taken into custody as part of the investigation into how the child was able to access the weapon.
Officers were called to the 9600 block of Duluth Drive at around 9 p.m. Sunday, according to First Alert 4, which first reported the shooting. A preliminary investigation determined that the gun had been left unattended and unsecured on a couch before the boy picked it up. The child accidentally fired one round while handling the gun, and the shot struck his hand. He was taken to the hospital for treatment and is in stable condition, police said.
Accounts differ on what happened to the man taken into custody. FOX 2 reported that he faces a charge of second-degree child endangerment, while the same First Alert 4 report states he was released, pending a warrant from the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney's Office. Neither account could be independently reconciled, and the investigation remains ongoing, the station's report notes.
What Missouri Law Says About Endangerment Charges
Missouri's statute on second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, RSMo 568.050, generally classifies the offense as a Class A misdemeanor, with an exception laid out in the statute itself. The law does not resolve what, if any, charge will ultimately be filed in connection with the Bellefontaine Neighbors case.
Bellefontaine Neighbors police are urging residents to secure their firearms, and the department offers free gun-safety locks at its station. Free locks are also available at every St. Louis County Library location and through the Urban League of St. Louis, which earlier this year announced it would distribute hundreds of locks through 40 St. Louis churches, according to a separate report from First Alert 4.
A Pattern of Unintentional Shootings Involving Young Children
Sunday's incident fits into a broader and troubling pattern. More than seven in 10 unintentional shootings by children happen in or around homes, according to Everytown Research, which tracked at least 3,580 unintentional shootings by children 17 and younger between 2015 and 2024, killing 1,382 people and wounding 2,317. Children five and younger accounted for 33 percent of both the shooters and the victims in that span, the group found.
Missouri has repeatedly ranked among the worst states for this kind of tragedy. Everytown Support Fund ranked Missouri fourth nationally for unintentional shootings by children, with 129 such incidents recorded from 2015 through 2023, and noted that 2023 alone saw 411 incidents nationwide, 270 injuries and 427 total victims — the highest figures on record. Preschool-age children, the group said, are among the two age groups most likely to unintentionally shoot themselves or someone else, trailing only teenagers 14 to 17.
Locally, the toll has been steep. More than 78 children were shot in the St. Louis metropolitan area in 2024, and 24 of them died, according to St. Louis Today, which also reported that a 4-year-old girl was shot and killed by her young sibling in a north St. Louis home in September 2024 while no adults were present.
Similar Cases Keep Surfacing Across the Region
The Bellefontaine Neighbors shooting is the latest in a string of recent cases involving children and unsecured firearms. Earlier this month, a 5-year-old girl in Marshfield, Missouri, died after accidentally shooting herself with an improperly secured gun, and KY3 reported that police there were looking into possible criminal charges. In Detroit, a man was charged after his 8-year-old son allegedly found an unsecured handgun and shot his 11-year-old brother in the mouth, according to the Detroit News, which reported the younger child was found lying on the living room floor suffering from the wound.
Research cited by Everytown found that rates of unintentional shootings by children were 35 percent lower in states with laws requiring secure firearm storage. A University of Michigan firearm-injury researcher told First Alert 4 that locking a firearm, keeping it unloaded and storing ammunition separately are each linked to a reduced risk of youth firearm deaths and injuries. For now, the investigation into Sunday's shooting on Duluth Drive continues, with police not yet releasing further details on the boy's condition or the circumstances that led to the gun being left on the couch.
