DETROIT (WXYZ) — A Detroit mother has been charged under Michigan's safe storage law after her 2-year-old son got hold of an unsecured handgun and shot himself in the stomach.
Amoya Black, 26, will be released from jail on a $50,000 personal bond, but she faces a charge that could send her to prison for a decade. Black was arraigned in 36th District Court on one count of Firearms – Safe Storage Violations – Premises Under Individual’s Control – Minor Present and Inflicted Serious Impairment of a Body Function Upon Self or Another.
Watch Randy Wimbley's report in the video player below:
The 2-year-old is doing much better, according to his family, and is now in stable condition. In court, we learned bullet fragments were removed from his stomach.
Prosecutors say the boy got hold of an unsecured handgun in Black's bedroom at their home on Evergreen near I-96 Tuesday morning and shot himself in the stomach.
Court-appointed attorney Phil Ragan argued Black should be given a personal bond.
"Obviously, nobody feels worse than Ms. Black at this point," Ragan said. "She lives at the home with her significant other and her two children. I'm so happy that, you know, the,the child is OK. She's a valid CPL holder and, and this is just a really unfortunate incident," Ragan said.
During the hearing, Magistrate Delphia Burton addressed the seriousness of the case.
"It's certainly very unfortunate that, your two year old ends up in the hospital as a result of just alleged negligence. And so even when weapons are in our bedrooms. They have to be secured, especially when there are children in the home," Burton said.
Tuesday's shooting is the latest in a string of cases involving children getting hold of unsecured firearms.
In September, a 3-year-old took a loaded gun to a Canton Township daycare. That same month, another 3-year-old was shot in the head inside a Pontiac home. Last month, an 11-year-old was shot in the face at a home on Detroit's west side.
"As a firearm educator it feels like failure. It feels like maybe myself or those who do this kind of thing and teach firearm safety haven't done enough, haven't reached enough people," Chad King, a firearm instructor, the Midwest director of the National African American Gun Association, and president of its Detroit chapter, the Black Bottom Gun Club, said.
King says Tuesday's shooting highlights the need for more proactive firearm safety education, and for lawmakers to find ways to incentivize responsible gun ownership.
"We have a safe storage law already. What would it mean if we had a safe voucher program, which is to say anytime someone purchases a gun, they get a voucher to purchase a small safe that's included with the firearm?" King said.
In the meantime, Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison is planning community forums where neighborhood police officers will teach residents about gun safety.
Black is due back in court twice this month for a probable cause conference on November 12th and a preliminary exam on November 18th.
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