PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A 3-year-old boy was wounded in an accidental shooting in West Philadelphia on New Year’s Day, police said.
Around 5 p.m. on Thursday, a man took his son to the hospital after the boy had been shot in the foot while at home, investigators said. Officers then went to the first-floor apartment where it happened, at 42nd Street and Westminster Avenue.
They found evidence in a rear bedroom, according to Chief Inspector Scott Small.
“That’s where we not only found a semi-automatic handgun, but we also found a small amount of blood,” he said. “However, we’re not exactly certain of the circumstances surrounding the shooting. We believe it was accidental. We don’t know who was handling the gun at the time of discharge.”
The man’s girlfriend was in a separate room when the shooting happened, and police do not believe she handled the gun. She was taken in for further questioning. Police plan to interview the boy’s father as well.
While the circumstances of the shooting are not clear, the incident is a reminder of the need to make sure guns are secured and out of reach if children are in the house.
“It should be locked away. It should be unloaded. There are also trigger locks that are available,” Small said.
There were at least 223 unintentional shootings by children in the U.S. in 2025, according to the anti-gun violence organization Everytown. That led to 88 deaths and 142 injuries.