Police said a 5-year-old boy accidentally shot his 2-year-old brother in their home while the parents were home. They said the 5-year-old was familiar with guns and showed officers how he loaded the chamber. “He displayed how you can take the gun and pull it back and he described the handgun very well … Obviously he knew the characteristics of this firearm pretty well. There’s a reasonable belief he could have chambered one,” Chief Counceller said. The Chief believed the child could have learned how to do so from a variety of sources, such as toys, TV or video games.
Chief Counceller said it was especially tragic that the parents would have to explain to the 2-year-old’s twin sister what happened to him. According to police, the family had several hunting rifles locked up, but the handgun was in the master bedroom for personal protection, However the loaded .40-caliber handgun was in a box on the floor, unsecured. The gun was loaded with a magazine, but the father claims there wasn’t one in the chamber.
Police called it a tragic but preventable accident. Police did not announce any charges against the parents, but said they were facing a “life sentence” for not keeping a closer eye on their children.“The child that survived, he’s going to have to live with this the rest of his life and he didn’t even know any better,” said one onlooker. “A 5-year-old knows what a gun is; they don’t know what it can do, they don’t know that they [guns] kill. Guns do not need to be in reach of children no matter what the circumstance is. People just need to be more responsible,” said a Connersville resident.
