- The horrific ordeal occurred Friday evening around 7:20 p.m. at the family’s home located in the 2100 block of George Street in Gary, Indiana.
- The boy’s mother told authorities that a gun was in her purse and that her three-year-old son accidentally shot his younger brother.
- It was later concluded that the two-year-old boy’s death was ruled accidental by the Lake County Coroner’s Office, WGN9 News reported.
A three year old child Indiana A boy shot and killed his two-year-old brother after finding a loaded gun in his mother’s purse.
The horrific ordeal occurred Friday evening around 7:20 p.m. at the family’s home located in the 2100 block of George Street. Neighbors of Gary’s house said ABC7 Chicago that they heard a loud bang. The child’s mother rushed her injured son to Northlake Methodist Hospital.
Officers were dispatched to the medical center regarding a toddler who had been shot. When authorities spoke to the victim’s mother, whose name was not released, she told police that her older son accidentally shot his younger brother.
The boy’s mother told police a gun was in her purse when she left a bedroom. It is still unclear why she had a gun in her bag, but the two youths were reportedly alone in the room with the gun.loaded weapon.
The two-year-old boy later died from his injuries from the shooting.
The names of the victim and the three-year-old shooter have not been released because they are minors.
The Lake County Prosecutor’s Homicide Task Force is investigating the weekend shooting.
Gary Police Commander Sam Roberts described how the case would unfold. ‘We conduct criminal investigations and then present them to the Lake County Prosecutor, who decides whether it was negligence or an unfortunate accident.
It was later concluded that the two-year-old boy’s death was ruled accidental by the Lake County Coroner’s Office. WGN9 News reported.
As of Monday afternoon, no charges had been announced by authorities and the investigation was ongoing, WTHR reported.
On Saturday, Gary Mayor Jerome A. Prince and Gary Police Chief Anthony Titus issued a joint statement expressing their condolences to the family. They also said the matter was under investigation.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the loved ones of the two-year-old who was so tragically taken from our community,” they said. “We understand that nothing we say will alleviate the pain these tragedies are causing in our community.
“This is a difficult reminder of the responsibility we all have, as adults, to properly secure all firearms and devices that could become weapons in the hands of innocent children,” they said. declared.
They also urged adults who own guns to become “fully responsible.”
Gary police asked gun owners to secure their weapons in a gun box or with a gun lock.
They said the department would offer free gun locks to their community to prevent further incidents like these from occurring.
“We will determine the best way to distribute these free and potentially life-saving devices throughout our community,” they said, in part, ABC Chicago reported.
As of July 2022, the State of Indiana no longer requires a handgun license to legally carry, conceal, or transport a firearm within the state.
Any person 18 years of age or older, who is not prohibited from possessing a firearm by state or federal law, may, with few exceptions, do so.