Two Children Killed, One Injured, in Gun Accidents at Home

In a home in Brookville, Kansas, a five-year-old girl was pronounced dead at the scene, and her eight-year-old brother was critically injured when another young child found a loaded gun and fired it. The investigation is ongoing to determine the circumstances of the shooting.

And in his home in Nashville, Tennessee, six-year-old Steven Lamont Ricks died after shooting himself with a pistol he found in his father’s pocket. His father, 56-year-old Steven Lamont Phillips, had fallen asleep with the gun, awakening when he heard the gunshot. The little boy, affectionately called “Junebug,” was described by his family, “[h]e was more than just our little brother/cousin. He was our joy, our light, our whole heart….He will be missed every single day.” Phillips was charged with aggravated child neglect and unlawful gun possession by a convicted felon.

Sources:

Todd Pittenger, “Child Killed in Brookville Shooting,” ksal.com (March 30, 2026).

Kelsey Gibbs, “6-year-old Boy Dies After Accidentally Shooting Himself With An Unsecured Gun Inside His Tennessee Home,” newschannel5.com (March 31, 2026).

“Father Arrested After 6-year-old Son Shot,” fox17.com (March 30, 2026).