Patrick Mcmahon
The Columbus Police Department hopes an accidental shooting of an eight year-old will serve as an educational incident for other parents who carelessly handle or store weapons in their home.
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Last week, an eight year-old and a six year-old found a loaded gun in their parents’ basement and started playing with it, according to Columbus Police and Raw Story. Theirs, like one in three American homes with children in them, also had a gun.
That gun went off, leaving the eight year-old with a gunshot wound in the arm. The child is expected to make a full recovery at a nearby Children’s Hospital.
While police are investigating, they say that a “third party” took the gun from the Mt. Vernon home before police arrived.
8-YEAR-OLD SHOT PLAYING W/GUN & 6-YEAR-OLD:
(PLEASE LOCK UP GUNS-We're posting this incident to raise awareness & educate the public.) #CPD pic.twitter.com/CQy6V1wtni— Columbus Ohio Police (@ColumbusPolice) June 26, 2017
No charges have been filed at this time, though that could change.
The Washington Post reports that, on average, two children are incidentally shot by mishandling firearms every week.
