Another tragedy for the reckless use of firearms in the United States of America. A three year old child died after shooting himself with a 9mm pistol. The gun was kept by his father on his bedside table at his Florida home in Deland, north of Orlando.
The reconstruction of the tragedy: the sheriff speaks
According to the first reconstruction of the tragic episode, made popular by Mike Chitwood, the sheriff from Volusia County, the little one was entrusted to his 16-year-old sister along with his 7-year-old brother by his parents who had gone to the supermarket.
And it was the teenager who called 911the sheriff always explained when providing the details of the drama.
Chitwood called the girl’s call “heartbreaking”: “My little brother shot himself, there’s blood everywhere,” he told the emergency call center in shock.
A second gun found on the kitchen fridge
It remains to be clarified why exactly the gun was on the bedside table, i.e. in an area easily accessible for the deceased child. The parents told authorities the gun was usually kept in a safe, which turned out to be broken. A second gun was also found on the refrigerator in the house.
The father is a prison officer, but it’s not about service pistols. “This should never have happened,” said the sheriff, who has not filed charges for the time being, explaining that Florida law requires a seven-day wait for an arrest in a child gun accident.
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Sheriff’s appeal: “Keep guns safe and away from children and young people”
Finally, the sheriff has issued an appeal to families who own guns, urging them to keep them locked up. “If you have young children, even teenagers, you need to keep them closed,” Chitwood commented.
Photo source: ANSA