DETROIT – A two-year-old boy was rushed to the hospital after accidentally shooting himself on Detroit’s east side.
Police say the boy found his mother’s gun that was unlocked in her bedroom.
The boy shot himself in the wrist, and the bullet traveled up and out through his shoulder. He’s in surgery now to repair the damage.
Detroit police are investigating the incident at the home Monday (Feb. 7) night.
According to the mother, her two-year-old son was asleep in a bedroom while she and her boyfriend were in another room of the home. The toddler got out of his bed and found the unlicensed firearm underneath the bed, and he shot himself.
“Discharges the weapon into his hand and through his shoulder, barely missing his head,” said Police Chief James White. “So we could be having a very different conversation, so thank God that the baby is going to be ok.”
The mom grabbed her son, and they drove to Children’s Hospital, where police say the mother’s story adds up, but there will be more investigation.
“It’s a tremendous responsibility to have a gun,” said White. “It just is, and if we’re not going to be responsible and were having our babies get shot by adult decisions, we just have to do better for our children.”
The chief says charges, in this case, are a certainty.