(WWJ) Two children were shot on Tuesday in separate incidents in which it appears kids were left unattended at home in Detroit with unsecured guns.
According to Detroit Police, one of the shootings happened on Justine Street near 8 Mile Rd. and the Southfield Freeway, on the city's northwest side.
Police told WWJ's Sandra McNeill that a 10-year-old boy somehow got access to a gun. He began playing with the weapon and it accidentally discharged, striking and wounding his 13-year-old cousin.
The 13-year-old boy was taken to a local hospital where he was listed in critical condition.
Another 12-year-old boy was the only other person in the home at the time and was not hurt, police said.
There were no immediate arrests in the case, as investigators were still trying to determine who owns the gun.
Around the same time, police said a 3-year-old boy was shot on Omira Street off 6 Mile Rd., between Woodward Ave. and I-75.
In the second case, Detroit Police Captain Kimberly Blackwell told reporters: "It looks like another unfortunate incident of gunplay by children."
She said it's believed that the shooter was another child around the same age as the victim, and that it again appears there were no adults home at the time.
The 3-year-old child's condition is unknown, although he was alive and alert when officers arrived on the scene.
Blackwell said both of these shootings were "totally preventable."
"This is why we stress how important it is to put your weapons up, to lock your weapons, to make them safe... because of these two incidents that tragically happened today," she said.
Blackwell stressed that gun locks are available at Detroit Police Department precincts for free.
Investigations into both incidents are ongoing.
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