The Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office is investigating an accidental shooting that killed a 3-year-old boy.
It happened at the Country Meadow Apartments on Stevens Drive in Ypsilanti Township.
Neighbors tell 7 Action News they were in their apartments Sunday afternoon around 1 when suddenly they heard a gunshot and screams.
They went into the hall and saw a mom holding a 3-year-old child bleeding from the neck. They saw a 10-year-old boy overcome with emotion, saying he never meant for this to happen.
“One of the kids found a gun in the closet. It was unsecured, unlocked. He was messing with the gun. It went off. He shoots the 3-year-old right in the neck,” said Derrick Jackson, Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office Director of Community Outreach. “The 3-year-old goes to run out of the room and collapses. Mom picks the three-year-old up, runs into the hallway. Neighbors called 911.”
Investigators questioned witnesses about what happened. The gun was legally owned, and while not locked up, put away in a closet. Did the owner of the gun have a legal responsibility to do more to secure it Will anyone face charges? Investigators say that is still to be decided.
“It is a tragic reminder of the importance of securing firearms,” said Jackson.
Jackson says if you aren’t carrying your weapon it should be locked up in a safe or with a gun lock. Many law enforcement agencies provide free gun locks to the public.
