Toddler Kills Self After Finding Unsecured Gun

A two-year-old child died at the hospital, after finding an unsecured gun inside their home in Merced, California, and shooting themself in the face. The child’s father was arrested and charged with child endangerment resulting in death.

And in Miami, Florida, a 15-year-old girl is in stable condition after being shot in the shoulder by her mother’s gun. Melissa Valbrum had threatened to shoot a Lyft driver and passengers outside a McDonald’s, because she thought one of them pointed at her. The gun in her waistband fell and unintentionally fired, injuring her daughter. Valbrum faces multiple charges including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Sources:

“2-year-old Child Dies After Being Shot in Merced, Father Arrested,” abc30.com (November 23, 2024).

Samiar Nefzi, Hannah Yechivi, Joseph Ojo, Andrea Torres, “Mother Shoots Daughter Outside McDonald’s in Miami-Dade’s Pinewood Neighborhood,” local10.com (November 25, 2024).