DETROIT (WWJ) -- A young child is in the hospital with a gunshot wound after what Detroit Police Chief James White calls another incidence of "irresponsible gun ownership" in the city.
"It appears that a 5-year-old got ahold of a gun that was unsecured, under the bed, and either shot himself or was shot by another child," the chief told reporters on Thursday.
Late in the afternoon, police officers were still on the scene at at a home on on Rosemont Ave. on the west side, as well as at the hospital, working to find out more about exactly what happened.
"...The bottom line at this point is a child got ahold of a weapon and we have yet another child in our city that has been shot by irresponsible gun ownership and irresponsible actions of an adult."
The child was last reported to be in stable condition, although White said this it remained a critical situation due to the boy's age.
The chief said he doesn't have numbers handy as to how many cases like this there have been in the city so far this year, but says there have been "too many."
"At this point we can't tiptoe around this," White said. "There's no nice words to put on this. People have to be responsible with their guns, and they have to care. They have to care about these babies."
Related
"If you're gonna own a gun, which everybody doesn't need to, but if you've gotta own a gun you've gotta do so responsibly.. We've gotta get tired it. We've got to have enough, and I've had enough."
The chief said the homeowner and gun owner, the child's grandmother who is a CPL holder and was caring for the child at the time, will likely face charges.
Regardless of charges and other details, the takeaway, White said, is that all gun owners must practice safe gun ownership, which means keeping their weapons locked up as well as speaking to their children about guns.
Stay with WWJ Newsradio 950 for the latest on this story.
Related
