Two deaths today occurred when guns were unintentionally fired by young boys.  In both cases an older boy accidentally killed a younger child. Both of the shooters are being prosecuted. In a third incident, two boys were injured after shooting themselves with a gun they found in a car.

 In Canton, Ohio an 11-year old accidentally killed a 6-year old.  He has been charged as a juvenile with reckless homicide, even though the prosecutor’s office concluded that it was not an intentional shooting.  The boy could face up to ten years in a juvenile detention facility.  There is no reported information about how the boy obtained the gun.

 A press release issued by the Canton police department said, “[t]ragedies like this emphasize the need for firearm safety and safe keeping of firearms.”

In Oak Park, Michigan, a 15-year old boy accidentally shot and killed 12-year old, Ladamian Williams.  The shooter is charged as a juvenile with manslaughter. According to the report, the boys were engaged in “some sort of gunplay.”  Again, there is no information about how the older boy came into possession of the gun.

In Mamou, Louisiana, two boys, age 12 and 9, were playing with a gun they found in a relative’s car.  The relative is a local police officer who was off duty at the time.  The 12-year old was shot in the hand and the 9-year old was shot in the arm.  One of the children was airlifted to the hospital.

None of the states in which these boys live have gun lock or safe storage laws.

Sources:

Robin Goist, “11-year-old Accused of Fatally Shooting 6-year-old in Canton, Prosecutors Describe Shooting as an Accident,” Cleveland.com (September 15, 2020).

David Bartkowiak, Jr. “15-year-old Boy Charged as Juvenile in Fatal Shooting of 12-year-old in Oak Park,” Click on Detroit (September 15, 2020).

“Two Children Shot While Playing with Gun,”  KATC3 (September 14, 2020).