A five-year-old boy was reportedly shot and killed by his 18-month-old cousin after playing with a gun at his uncle's home.
A toddler accidentally shot his 5-year-old cousin
The toddler potentially found a Glock in Detroit, Michigan house and fired a shot, The Detroit News reported. Police arrested the uncle, 27, the father of the boy who died in the incident. On Wednesday, the man was home when the shooting took place, as per a source, alongside the Michigan boy's grandmother and a one-year-old girl.
At 9:30 AM EST, police were called to the home after a report was received that a child shot another and found the five-year-old boy shot in the neck, the outlet reported.
According to The Sun, the boy was taken to the hospital, but later on, he died. Tiffany Stewart, Detroit Police Department Commander, told the outlet the incident was reported that an 18-month-old got to hold a gun in the Michigan home that became accessible. The toddler grabbed that gun and started playing with it and unintentionally shot the 5-year-old boy.
Stewart added that the father was detained for additional questioning about the circumstances to determine whether the story occurred. "I'm not sure the 18-month-old is not even aware of what occurred," Stewart said.
Stewart reiterated that the incident is "completely avoidable" and that the incident was due to a "lack of firearm safety."
Read also: 13-year-old Boy Dies After Fatal Shooting While Mowing the Lawn
Four-Year-Old Tennessee girl accidentally shoots toddler
Meanwhile, another child got to hold a gun and shoot a one-year-old girl.
In Tennessee, a four-year-old girl accidentally shot a one-year-old child with a rifle in Mississippi. The baby girl is now recovering. On Sunday, the girl was accidentally shot in hand at home in Ridgecrest Drive in Holly Springs, as per the police.
When the shooting incident took place, the toddler's mother was not home and left the girl with a sibling. It remains unknown how exactly the older child got golf on the gun, according to Newsweek via MSN.
The one-year-old is now in a hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, for treatment. She is expected to recover. Authorities and child protective services are investigating the circumstances.
A neighbor named Catressa Malone told Fox News that the incident "breaks her heart as a parent to see the children suffer."
"My heart truly goes out to the parents and the auntie that was here and we definitely will be praying for the baby and hope she has a speedy recovery," Catressa added.
In 2020, there are more than 17,400 gun deaths and 36,300 gun injuries reported based on Gun Violence Archive data.
Read also: Sleeping 4-Year-Old Boy Fatally Shot in the Face by Unknown Assailant
Ohio boy shot himself after playing a gun
Last week, a boy shot himself in the chest after playing a gun. Officers were called to the Weinland Park area of Columbus apartment following a report of a shooting. But the 5-year-old boy with a gunshot wound to his upper right chest had been taken to the Nationwide Children's Hospital by his mother before police arrived.
According to the Columbus Police Department report, the child was playing with his mother's loaded gun when it was discharged. The boy had an injury but is expected to recover.
