Detroit child, 6, shoots baby brother in the face and shoulder when playing with father’s gun in backyard while infant was jumping in his bouncy seat
- The child fired two shots at their baby brother on Tennessee Street, on the east side of the city, at around 7.40pm on Wednesday
- Their father was in the backyard while their mother was down the street
- Detroit Police Department Assistant Chief Charles Fitzgerald was visibly shaken while speaking at a press conference from the scene
A six-year-old Detroit child has shot their baby brother in the face and shoulder while playing with their father’s gun.
The baby was jumping in his bouncy seat when their older sibling fired two shots from the unregistered semi-automatic at around 7.40pm Wednesday.
Detroit Police Department Assistant Chief Charles Fitzgerald said the children’s father was in the backyard of their home on Tennessee Street in the city’s east side with an uncle at the time, while their mother was at a relative’s house nearby.
Speaking at a press conference from the scene, Fitzgerald said the baby is now in a stable condition.
The shooting took place on the 600 block of Tennessee Street in Detroit, Michigan, on Wednesday evening
Visibly shaken, he said: ‘Here we are again. Once again another senseless, preventable, horrible incident for this young kid. It’s a baby – one year old.
‘The baby was in his bouncy, the preliminary information is that another family member, a young child, got a hold of a gun and shoots his sibling, not once but twice.
‘The one-year-old was shot through the cheek and through his left shoulder.
‘We’re very very fortunate that that child is still with us.’
‘We’re here far too often talking about securing the weapons,’ he added.
‘There are gun locks. There are gun safes. The highest shelf you can find in your house — put the gun up as high as you possibly can.’
Detroit Police Department Assistant Chief Charles Fitzgerald was visibly shaken by the incident as he gave a press update from the scene at Tennessee Street, Detroit, Michigan
The assistant chief said the six-year-old is also likely ‘traumatized’ by the incident.
Syreeta Wilson, a member of the east side neighborhood in Michigan, said the local community is shaken by the incident but not surprised.
‘It’s happening too much. We losing too many people over this. These weapons,’ she told WXYZ Detroit.
‘Get a lock, a safe deposit box. Lock it up in a closet so they can’t reach it. We need to really stop this. We’re adults, they’re children. They’re innocent,’
Investigators remain on scene and Detroit Police has said evidence will be presented to a prosecutor.
Fitzgerald said on Wednesday that everyone involved is cooperating with police.
Dailymail.com has approached Detroit Police for an update.
***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk