Charges pending as three-year-old boy shoots himself with mother's unsecured gun at home
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA: Charlotte Police official Caitlin Figueroa arrived upon being called at the North Carolina apartment on Wednesday, February 21 evening, where she found a 3-year-old child bleeding.
The little boy was still alive as per what she wrote in the incident report obtained by People. However, the child was seriously injured with "an apparent gunshot wound."
What happened to the 3-year-old child?
Investigators believe that the child accidentally shot himself with his mother’s unsecured gun, Mike Allinger, a spokesman for the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department, told People.
According to the incident report, police have pinpointed the exact time of the shooting as being within six minutes, or approximately 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
The boy was taken to the hospital with potentially fatal injuries, according to a news release issued by the department on Wednesday night. The child's name has not been included in the report due to his age.
The 3-year-old was pronounced dead shortly after arrival at the hospital. At the time of the shooting, the mother of the 3-year-old was at home with her son according to Allinger, the police official who notes that charges are pending in the case and could be filed at the earliest.
For context, North Carolina is one of 26 states with laws dealing with gun safety about child access and/or secure storage, per Everytown for Gun Safety Research.
Police continue their investigation
Police official, Allinger confirmed that the state has such a law regarding children’s access to guns, which only goes into effect if the child obtains the firearm.
Additionally, Major Bret Balamucki said at a press conference outside the apartment complex on Wednesday night, "A tragedy like this should wake us all up on understanding the importance of the responsibility we all have.”
He added, “Wherever you think you may have hidden that weapon if it’s loaded and it doesn’t have a lock on it that the child can’t defeat – then potentially they could gain access to it."
The investigation remains active. A similar incident happened in Georgio when a three-year-old boy shot himself with an unsecured firearm.
Following the death of the 3-year-old boy, the owner of the gun, Antonine Jordan, was arrested and charged.
