A 3-year-old boy in Florida died this week after he apparently wandered into his parents’ bedroom and shot himself in the face with a loaded gun he found in a nightstand, Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said in a Thursday press conference.
The child was in the care of his 16-year-old sister while his parents went grocery shopping, Chitwood said. An 8-year-old brother was also at the home at the time of the incident.
The boy’s father, a Florida state corrections officer, told investigators he normally keeps his firearms in a safe in the bedroom but it wasn’t locking properly. A second gun was found above the refrigerator, Chitwood added in the emotional news briefing.
Chitwood said he would like other parents who have firearms in their home with a nonfunctioning safe to “have them hear the 16-year-old say ‘My brother shot himself and he’s not breathing,’ and I think if you heard that you would run out right now and buy a gun safe.”
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Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood held a press conference Thursday after a 3-year-old boy in DeLand apparently shot himself in the face with a gun he found in his parents’ bedroom. (Volusia County Sheriff’s Office)
Deputies responded to the scene in DeLand, Florida, after 6 p.m. ET on Wednesday following 911 calls from the sister and the parents. The boy was rushed to a hospital where he was pronounced dead, the sheriff’s office said.
The case will be submitted to the State Attorney’s Office to decide if any charges will be filed. “I cannot imagine there’s anything in the law books that can punish that family more than what happened last night,” Chitwood said.
Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood shared a photo of the handgun the toddler apparently found in his parents’ bedroom and used to accidentally shoot himself in the face. (Volusia County Sheriff’s Office)
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He added that he’s also concerned about the physical and mental health of the deputies who witnessed the horrific scene, saying they will receive mandatory counseling over the “life-altering” call.
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“This should not have happened,” he said, “and my deputies and dispatchers should not be going through what they’re going through.”
