Two Toddlers Loaded Guns; Two Dead
In South Bend, Indiana, one-year-old Kylin Brooks was shot and killed by his two-year-old cousin with a loaded, unsecured gun. Kylin’s uncle, 19-year-old Joseph Troupe, and his children were staying overnight with Kylin and his mother. Troupe had placed the semi-automatic gun under his pillow on the floor, and the next day, one of Troupe’s sons and Kylin were playing in the bedroom and found the gun. Kylin had just turned one on July 17th.
Troupe left the scene with the gun, attempting to hide it, before police found him. The state has filed multiple charges against him, including neglect of a dependent resulting in death.
This incident is the 16th time since 2020 that a child in South Bend gained access to a firearm and hurt someone as a result. “It could have been avoided; it should have been avoided,” said the police chief. “I don’t know how much more…as a community we can take.”
A 3-year-old boy in Hinckley, Minnesota, died Tuesday night after apparently shooting himself in the head with his father’s gun, according to a court document. The report states that the boy’s father called 911 just after 9 p.m. “screaming for help.” Deputies and paramedics arrived quickly, but the boy died at the scene.
Sources:
Julianne Grohowski, “Police Charge 19-year-old for Reckless Homicide, Pleading for Responsibility from Gun Owners,” abc57.com (August 9, 2023).
Greg Swiercz, “Death of 1-year-old from Unsecured Gun ‘Preventable.’ Nineteen-year-old Charged,” news.yahoo.com (August 10, 2023).
“3-year-old Tragically Dies From Accidental Shooting in Hinckley, Minnesota: Court Document,” Fox 9 (August 10, 2023).