DETROIT (WXYZ) — A 2-year-old boy is hospitalized after being shot inside his own home in Detroit with an unsecured firearm, police say. His 4-year-old brother, who was also inside the home, was not hurt.
Watch Randy's story in the video player below:
Police Chief Todd Bettison says the firearm belonged to the child's mother.
"The mother from what we're being told was cooking breakfast at the time and heard a loud pop sound," Bettison said. "And found, discovered her child shot the 2-year-old."
While Bettison says the exact circumstances surrounding the shooting remain unclear, one fact is not: the firearm was unsecured. I spoke with the man who owns the home where the shooting happened. He says he's renting it to family friends, and that the 2-year-old is doing well considering the circumstances.
Kirk Hopkins, a neighbor, is stunned.
"I feel sorry for her," Hopkins said. "Cause I know she made a mistake. Mistakes happen, you know."
"Everybody on this block feel bad around the corner everywhere because, you know, we know them," Hopkins said. "Yeah, they're good people, especially her. She, mind her own business. She take care of her kids and everything."
Bettison urged parents to secure their firearms.
"Whether it's a gun lock, a gun safe, it's your responsibility to secure your weapons. And if you don't, you'll be held accountable."
Bettison says for now, the mother is not in custody, but police are continuing to investigate.
Bettison has long sounded the alarm about the dangers of unsecured guns — and now he plans to ramp up those efforts.
"I'm saying it right now, I will be hosting my neighborhood police officers and DPD," Bettison said. "We're gonna start to get together community forums where we will be teaching gun safety. It's not enough just to say secure your weapon."
In the meantime, you can pick up a free gun lock at any Detroit police precinct with no questions asked.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
