Toddler dies in accidental shooting after finding unsecured gun
A 2-year-old child in Michigan died in an accidental shooting Sunday evening after gaining access to an unsecured firearm and shooting themselves, police said.
Police responded to initial reports of a shooting just before 6 p.m. Sunday in the Rolling Oaks subdivision of Howell, a city about 30 miles north of Ann Arbor.
“It was reported that a 2.5-year-old child had gained access to an unsecured firearm that resulted in an accidental shooting,” a statement from the Howell Police Department said.
The child was taken to an area hospital where they were later pronounced dead.
“Investigators are currently conducting their investigation and no additional details are available at this time,” the release obtained by The Post said.
Additional details about the child and the incident — including whether their caretaker was present at the time of the accident — have not been made available by authorities.
The shooting comes less than two months after Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed bills into law requiring anyone in the state buying a gun to undergo a background check and for gun owners to safely store all firearms and ammunition when around minors.
“Gun violence is a scourge that is unique to this country,” Whitmer said at the time. “We don’t have to live like this and today, we are showing we are not going to anymore.”
The sweeping, 11-bill gun safety package was introduced in the weeks after a gunman killed three students and injured five others on the Michigan State University campus in East Lansing in February.
According to Everytown for Gun Safety, there are 4.6 million children in America who live in a home with at least one unlocked and loaded firearm.
Nearly one child gains access to a loaded firearm and unintentionally shoots themself or someone else every day in America — an average of 350 children a year, according to the nonprofit.
With Post wires
