A six-year-old child in Detroit, Michigan, unintentionally shot his baby brother multiple times in their home while the children were alone.
In a press conference held on June 7, Assistant Police Chief Charles Fitzgerald expressed his profound concern about the recurring and avoidable incidents of children involved in firearm accidents. The shocking incident took place in a house on Tennessee Street, where a one-year-old boy sitting in a bouncy chair was shot several times by his older sibling, who managed to get hold of a semiautomatic firearm.
The toddler suffered two gunshot wounds, one to his cheek and another to his shoulder. Despite the gravity of his injuries, the child managed to survive.
At the time of the shooting, the children’s father was in the backyard, while their mother was away from the home, further down the street.
Authorities have obtained a search warrant for the family residence as part of the ongoing investigation. Initial reports suggest that the firearm used in the shooting was legally obtained. The six-year-old child involved in the incident is cooperating with the investigation, with no charges filed against him at this time.
The New England Journal of Medicine provides stark statistics: injuries caused by firearms are the top cause of child deaths in the United States.