An 11-year old and a 12-year old were involved in gun accidents today.

In Lake County, Florida, 12-year old Jeremyah Wyatt found an unsecured gun in his home and accidentally shot and killed himself.  “This is that one of those calls that deputies don’t want to ever go to — and paramedics. No one wants to go to where a child has been hurt,” said a Lieutenant with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.  There were three other children in the home at the time.

Wyatt’s father, Christopher, was later arrested and charged with aggravated manslaughter. Authorities alleged that he had left a loaded assault rifle under his bed where Jeremyah found it. According to deputies, the rifle did not have a safety.

In Wilmington, Delaware an 11-year old girl was accidentally struck in a shooting incident.  She was reported to be in stable condition.  Neighbors watching the police investigation “shook their heads in disbelief that the girl was shot. Several said she was coming back from the corner store when the shooting occurred.”  No one has yet been charged.

Sources:

Adrienne Cutway, Eric Sandloval, “12-year-old Boy Fatally Shot in Lake County, Deputies Say,” ClickOrlando.com (August 31, 2020).

“Lake County Father Arrested after 12-year-old Son Fatally Shoots Himself, Deputies Say,” ClickOrlando.com (October 6, 2020).

Esteban Parra, Isabel Hughes, “Girl Heard Screaming after Being Shot Monday in Wilmington’s West Center City Neighborhood,”  Delaware Online (August 31, 2020).