Memorial Day was marked by accidental gun violence and the death of two children. 

In North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, 16-year old Nathaniel Brooks was accidentally shot in his home by his father, Mathew Brooks.  The local chief of police determined that the shooting was an accident involving a semi-automatic handgun.  Mathew was cleaning the gun.

During a Memorial Day barbecue in San Antonio, Texas, 4-year old JaeLen Corley was accidentally shot and killed by a ten-year old boy.  The boys had found a loaded gun in a bedroom in their home.   “Someone heard a pop, they ran and found the little boy had been shot in the stomach,” the Police Chief said. “It (the gun) may very well have been secured, but apparently not well enough.”

There are ongoing investigations with respect to both incidents.

Sources:

“Teen’s Shooting Death Ruled Accidental,” Wilkes Journal Patriot (May 26, 2020).

David Lynch, “SAPD: 4-year-old Identified After Being Killed in ‘Accidental’ Shooting” KENS 5 (May 26, 2020).