Five-year-old Kills Himself With Unsecured Gun

While he was left unattended in a home in Black Jack, Missouri, five-year-old Jaylon Young found an unsecured, loaded gun, and fatally shot himself. Rayvone McPherson, age 29, admitted the gun was his, and that he had left the child alone with the gun in reach. He was charged with child endangerment resulting in the death of a child. 

“It’s so easy to forget how curious children are and how able they are to find a gun,” said the spokesperson for an advocacy group, “A child as young as 3 years old can pull the trigger.” 

Source:

Jennifer Somers, Melanie Johnson, “‘Heartbreaking’: 5-year-old Dies in Accidental Shooting in Black Jack; Man Charged With Endangerment,” ksdk.com (February 8, 2026).