A one-year-old boy who was shot twice by his six-year-old brother after the older child found a handgun in a Detroit home is “very fortunate” to be alive, police said.
The toddler was in a baby bouncer Wednesday evening when his sibling grabbed an unregistered handgun in the home and shot the one-year-old once through the cheek and once through the left shoulder, Detroit police said.
The boy remained hospitalized as of Thursday morning, WDIV-TV reported.
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Assistant Detroit Police Chief Charles Fitzgerald called Wednesday’s shooting “preventable” and urged households with firearms to safely store those weapons.
A six-year-old Detroit boy shot his one-year-old twice after finding an unsecured firearm in their home. The one-year-old survived the shooting. (Fox News)
“We are very, very fortunate that child is still with us,” he told reporters.
Fitzgerald said authorities sought a search warrant to search the house. He said the findings of the ongoing investigation are expected to be presented to the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office to determine whether any charges will be filed, The Detroit News reported.
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At the time of the shooting, police said the child’s father was in the backyard working on a fence, while the child’s mother was visiting someone down the street.
Fitzgerald said the parents are cooperating with police investigators.
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A law recently signed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer will require gun owners to keep guns in a locked storage box or container when it is “reasonably known that a minor is or is likely to be present on the premises.” That legislation takes effect in 2024.
