PAYSON, Ariz. – Police said an 18-month-old boy is dead after being shot in the head by his 3-year-old brother, reports CBS affiliate KPHO.
The boys were at a neighbor’s apartment in Payson, Ariz., on Tuesday when they found a semi-automatic gun that belonged to the man they were visiting, according to the station. Police said the toddler’s 3-year-old brother picked up the weapon and pulled the trigger. Payson Police Chief Don Engler said officers found the boy’s mother carrying the wounded child in the parking lot outside the apartment after they received several 911 calls about a child with a head injury. The boy was pronounced dead after being rushed to Payson Regional Medical Center, KPHO reports.
“The apartment that this occurred in was a family friend of the mother and two children,” said Engler. “The children had slipped into another room unobserved by the mother and the 78-year-old occupant of the apartment,” Engler said, noting that the family had been visiting for about 10 to 15 minutes before the shooting. “Even though many of our young officers have children of their own, certainly it’s difficult for our officers in those circumstances.”
According to KPHO, police have not released the names of anyone involved in the incident. Suzy Tubbs, the director of Payson Community Kids, a nonprofit located across the street from the apartment, said the young mother often visited with her two sons. “I was always so impressed with a mom who wants to give back and help out…. [The boys] were really cute, playing on the playground, playing hard, getting dirty… typical little boys.”
This tore my heart out and left me pissed off with irresponsible gun owners. I’ve been around guns my entire life. My gramps kept a loaded shotgun by his side of the bed. When we were very young He took my brother and me to where the gun was and explained what the gun was for, what it could do, and how it could hurt somebody. He said don’t ever touch the gun, and we never touched the gun.
It’s time for accountability from people who leave a gun where a child can get access.
A semi-automatic????? Was this a drug house?
The person responsible for leaving the gun where the kids could reach it has blood on their hands. What happened to gun locks? Gun safes?
I’ve owned guns since I was fourteen, a shotgun, and two 38 Revolvers. When a child came to my house, I would unload guns, put on locks, and hide away. How could that adorable two-year-old even pull the trigger?
Have we become a society that no longer takes responsibility for our actions?
Parents need to parent their children and parent themselves. This doesn’t apply to all, JUST THE DUMBASSES RESPONSIBLE FOR A DEAD CHILD. Put them in jail as if they pulled the trigger. That will get attention, and people might think twice in the future.
I don’t have children, yet I’m human and compassionate. Too many children have died at the hands of a parent, family member, or while at a friend’s house. Stop this madness. It only takes a minute.
Warrior
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