Boy, 3, shoots self in head with gun left on bed, Detroit police say

Child suffers graze wound after playing with loaded gun, officials say

DETROIT – A 3-year-old boy shot himself early Thursday morning after finding a gun that was left on a bed in his Detroit home, police said.

According to Detroit police, a 911 call was made at about 2:50 a.m. on April 21, saying that a 3-year-old had shot himself in a home on Alameda Street, in the area of 8 Mile and John R roads.

UPDATE: Teen in custody after 3-year-old brother uses his gun to shoot himself in Detroit home

The toddler is said to share a bedroom with his 16-year-old brother. Police say the teenage boy left a loaded gun on the bed in the bedroom and went to the living room to sleep on the couch. The 3-year-old then reportedly got ahold of the gun and started playing with it, shooting himself.

Officials say the family found the child bleeding with the gun next to him. The child shot himself in the head, though officials say it is a graze wound. The child was in stable condition as of Thursday morning.

The child’s mother, father and brother were in the home at the time of the incident, police said.

The 16-year-old boy is said to have grabbed the gun after the shooting, apologized to his father and then fled on foot with the weapon. Detroit police are still looking for the teen.

This is an ongoing investigation. Stay with Local 4 and ClickOnDetroit for updates.


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Cassidy Johncox is a senior digital news editor covering stories across the spectrum, with a special focus on politics and community issues.