Two People Shot During Police Stop, and Toddler Fires Unsecured Gun Injuring One 

An investigatory police stop in Chicago, Illinois, resulted in a police officer and 16-year-old Marcus Gracey sustaining gunshot wounds from an unintentional discharge of a gun in Gracey’s possession. Officers noticed a gun in Gracey’s waistband while he was walking along a street near his home. During the struggle for the gun, a single shot fired striking Gracey in the groin area and an officer in the leg. Both were taken to the hospital in good condition. Charges are pending against Gracey, as the Civilian Office of Police Accountability investigates.

“He was complying and I guess they went up to him and they attempted to take [the gun] out of his waistband,” Gracey’s father said. “I know my son apparently had a gun. Lock them up for the gun. But don’t shoot him. Like, come on man, it’s not right,” he added. “What our officers did, they were attempting to disarm someone who was armed with a handgun,” the Police Superintendent stated.

And 25-year-old Cody Toomey left a gun on the front steps of a home in Dover, Delaware while he worked on a car with another man. A three-year-old family member picked up Toomey’s gun and fired it, striking the other man in the arm. He was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Toomey has been charged with reckless endangerment.

Sources:

Julian Crews, Gabriel Castillo, “‘It’s not right:” Father of Teen Involved in Shooting Disputes Officer’s Version of Events,” wgntv.com (October 4, 2024).

Sean Curtis, “One Injured, One Arrested After Toddler Fires Gun in Dover,” wboc.com (October 4, 2024).