10-Year-Old Dies Of Accidental Self-Inflicted Gunshot Wound After Finding Gun

In a terrible accident, a young boy fatally shot himself while he was left unsupervised in his North Philadelphia home on Saturday, June 26. The unnamed 10-year-old boy was with his 8-year-old sister, who has also not been named when the incident took place. The child was taken to a hospital after the gun was fired. He succumbed to his injuries at the hospital. The investigation remains ongoing.

Emergency services were called to the Tioga-Nicetown area of North Philadelphia shortly before 6:00 p.m. Arriving at the home 400 block of West Pacific Street, first responders found the child with a gunshot wound. He was taken to Saint Christopher’s Hospital.

NBC Philadelphia reported that the boy was pronounced dead at the hospital at 6:39 p.m. An investigation was launched into the fatal shooting. As the police continue to investigate the incident, some details of what led to the unfortunate incident came to light.

The victim of the shooting was reportedly left alone at home with his sister. In the absence of adult supervision, the children explored a cabinet and found a firearm. Sometime after the discovery, the older child accidentally fired the loaded gun. He ended up inflicting a single head wound which proved to be fatal.

After the older child injured himself, his younger sister sought the help of neighbors. The younger child informed their neighbor of what had transpired. The neighbors in turn called 911, alerting the emergency services.

It is unclear why the children were left alone at home. Police are trying to establish who the gun belongs to and if it was registered, New York Times reported. As of Monday, no one had been charged in relation to the incident.

Police pointed out that gun owners need to take necessary -precautions to prevent children from accessing them. Guns should be kept in lock boxes or locked cabinets, with the keys out of children’s reach. The gun that was found by the children was not in a locked cabinet.

While neighbors shared their heartbreak at the news of the loss, Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw issued a sentimental statement. “Another one of our precious children has died as the result of gunfire,” she lamented. She urged the community to take steps to keep guns out of the hands of children.