Keyaris Samuels, seven, accidentally shot himself after finding a loaded gun Wednesday
A seven-year-old boy fatally shot himself after he found a loaded handgun in a box with a toy, police say.
The horrific accident took place around 3pm on Wednesday in Plymouth, Minnesota when Keyaris Samuels was home alone with his siblings.
Keyaris had just come home from school when he tried to access a box that held a new hoverboard that he wanted to play with and found the gun inside.
Police responded to reports of a child bleeding from the head and when they arrived to the townhouse complex, officers found the child with a gunshot wound.
Emergency crews performed CPR on the boy, but were unable to save him. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Keyaris was with three other children who saw the gun but they were outside when the gun was fired.
Keyaris had just returned home from first grade at Wayzata Public Schools and was playing with friends and his siblings, all between the ages of seven to 11, before the incident took place, according to CBS.
He had just come home from first grade in Plymouth, Minnesota and went to open a box that held a hoverboard, where he also found the gun
Keyaris, pictured with a woman believed to be his mother, was home unsupervised when the accident took place
His mother arrived on the scene soon after and said she did not know the source of the gun.
Plymouth Police Chief Mike Goldstein says an irresponsible gun owner must have left the loaded handgun the box, where the child found it with his toy.
An investigation is taking place to hold that gun owner responsible.
‘I am also angry about the irresponsible behavior of this gun owner and again we will do everything we can to hold this person accountable,’ Chief Goldstein said in a press conference Thursday.
‘This entire incident should have never occurred. No one should have died, especially such a young and innocent child,’ he added according to the Star Tribune.
Police arrived on the scene after responding to reports of a child bleeding from the head. He was pronounced dead at the site
Police Chief Mike Goldstein said: ‘I am also angry about the irresponsible behavior of this gun owner and again we will do everything we can to hold this person accountable’
It’s unclear where Keyaris was shot, a report will be released later by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office.
‘This is certainly a challenging time for all of us at Wayzata Public Schools and throughout the broader community. With challenging times like this, it is important for us to pull together in support of one another,’ Superintendent Chace B. Anderson of the school said.
On Thursday a memorial was set on the front steps of the townhouse where the accident took place.
A cousin described Keyaris as ‘the sweetest boy ever, just full of life, loved his family…not a bad bone in his little body’.