Two Toddlers Find Guns: One Kills Himself, One Shoots His Father in the Back

Royal Clark, a 1-year-old from Marietta, Georgia, found his father’s loaded gun and fatally shot himself in the head. His father, Conrad Clark, was charged with involuntary manslaughter, reckless conduct and possession of a firearm by a felon.  This is the second day in a row that a child from the Atlanta metro area died after finding an unattended, loaded gun.

And in Mesa, Arizona, a 3-year-old found a gun and unintentionally shot his father in the back. The father, who is in stable condition, said he usually kept his gun on a shelf, and it’s unclear where the child found it. “That’s a takeaway here: we need to make sure the people with guns, parents especially, who have young kids in the house, make sure you lock guns up, and make sure they’re safe,” said the police sergeant.

Sources:

Denise Dillon, “1-year-old Boy Accidentally Shoots Self at Home; Father Charged,” fox5atlanta.com (September 6, 2023).

Alexis Stevens, “Cobb Father Arrested After 1-year-old Finds Gun, Kills Himself, Police Say,” ajc.com (September 7, 2023).

Brent Corrado, Lindsey Ragas, “Boy, 3, Accidentally Shoots His Father in Mesa: Police,” fox10phoenix.com (September 7, 2023).