5-year-old Finds Loaded Gun on Dresser, Shoots and Kills Himself

Sturlin Minion, a 5-year-old from Detroit, Michigan, was left unsupervised at home with his four siblings (ages 4–8). He was jumping up and down on a bed; grabbed a loaded gun left on a dresser, and accidentally shot himself in the face. He died at the scene. Both of his parents were arrested when they returned home after the incident.

“Think about the babies that saw what happened. The trauma that they’ve got to deal with, losing a sibling like this, what Christmas will mean to them moving forward,” said the police chief. Family member have set up a GoFundMe page to help with expenses.

“I used to call him golden because everything about his exterior, hair and everything was gold, he was a beautiful child,” said his grandmother.

Sources:

Ben Orner, “5-year-old Unsupervised Boy is Dead After Accidentally Shooting Himself,” mlive.com (December 10, 2023).

Camille Amiri, David Komer, “‘A Beautiful Child’: Relatives Heartbroken After 5-year-old Dies From Unsecured Gun,” fox2detroit.com (December 11, 2023).