'Absolutely unacceptable': Unsupervised 5-year-old killed after finding gun in Detroit home, shooting self in the face while playing

DETROIT (WWJ) - A young child is dead Saturday afternoon after authorities said he found an unsecured gun in his Detroit home and shot himself in the face while jumping on a bed.

"Absolutely ridiculous, irresponsible, stupid and unnecessary and I'm sick and tired of it," Detroit Police Chief James White said to media at the scene in the 16500 block of Greenfield on Detroit's west side. "We've got a baby now that is dead weeks before Christmas who should be getting excited about getting Christmas toys."

According to White, five children -- one 8-year-old, two 7-year-olds, one 5-year-old and one 4-year-old -- were left unattended inside the home when the 5-year-old found a gun on a dresser.

The young child started to play with the gun, White said, and was jumping on a bed when the he turned the gun on himself and shot himself in the face.

Police responded to the home around 1:25 p.m., but the child was pronounced dead at the scene.

"The parents are about to get locked up," White said. "They're both here and they're in custody."

White said there was no logical reason for the children be on their own, stating one parent was working on a car while the other was visiting with friends.

Police are currently securing search warrants to get into the apartment and retrieve the weapon, the chief added.

"The babies got to have a chance," he said, explaining that children should get the opportunity to grow up. "A chance to be a reporter, to be a police chief, to be an assistant chief... when parents make these types of decisions, they don't have a chance."

White expressed anger and frustration, stating they were going to look at a number of charges against the parents.

'We're going to be charging them with everything we can, to be honest with you."

When asked by reporters what can be done to stop these incidents, White responded" "Responsible parenting. I mean, that's it. It's your child. You can't leave a gun on a dresser with a house full of kids."

No other details on the incident were released. The investigation remains active at this time.