Boy, 5, killed playing with gun
The pistol was taken from an unlocked nightstand and fired by the victim's teenage cousin, police say.
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Child's play turned deadly Friday afternoon when a gun went off in a North Sacramento home, killing a 5-year-old boy, authorities said.
The shooting occurred as two children were playing with plastic swords and a loaded pistol in a bedroom of a house in the 200 block of Olmstead Way, said Sacramento police spokesman Sgt. Justin Risley.
The gun fired, hitting Josh Lee in the face. His 13-year-old cousin pulled the trigger, Risley said.
The boys had taken the .380-caliber semiautomatic pistol from an unlocked nightstand. The gun belonged to Josh's father, Risley said.
"The cousin had removed the clip thinking he had unloaded the weapon," Risley said. "Not being familiar with an automatic weapon, he wasn't aware that there was one still in the chamber. He fired a round, unintentionally striking the victim in the head."
The two boys live at the residence, and both had stayed home sick Friday from school, he said. Josh's parents were at work when the shooting occurred.
Neighbor Dee Tamasoa was at home when the boy's uncle frantically knocked on her door about 3:30 p.m.
"He asked if he could use the phone, saying Josh had been shot," Tamasoa recalled.
She followed the uncle next door with a portable phone. Inside, she said, she saw Josh lying on a couch next to his hysterical grandmother.
"I couldn't look at the little boy," Tamasoa said, having glanced at his wound.
Dispatchers were on the phone, giving the uncle CPR instructions.
"He was pumping the boy's chest with one hand, with the other he held the phone," she said. "When we felt for a pulse we didn't find anything."
Tamasoa, who has three children of her own, said her 6-year-old son frequently played with Josh, who was a kindergartner at a nearby school.
"It's scary" she said.
Police and firefighters arrived to find Josh barely clinging to life. He was taken to UC Davis Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
The cousin was taken to a Sacramento mental health facility Friday night after threatening to injure himself.
"We are concerned for his safety and emotional instability after the incident," Risley said.
Investigators recovered the weapon from the nightstand.
The investigation report will be forwarded to the district attorney for review. Prosecutors will determine whether the parents will be charged as a result of the unsecured weapon, Risley said.
Sgt. Paul Freeman said he heard the initial call, which came in as a 3-year-old with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Freeman has a 3-year-old son and a 1-year-old daughter.
"As I was hearing the details I was getting a sinking feeling in my stomach," he said. "Immediately I thought about my own kids."
Freeman said that as an officer he keeps a gun at home. He and his wife frequently have talked about the danger it poses to his children. To protect them, he keeps the gun secured in a gun safe.
"The Police Department just had a campaign that promoted gunlocks," Freeman said, "but we still have kids playing with guns."
Gunlocks are accessible to the public through Project ChildSafe, a national program that hands out the locks through law enforcement agencies.
"This is a real tragedy, but these types of things are preventable," Risley said.
Citizens interested in gunlocks should contact their local law enforcement agency, he said.
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All in all, not a bad story. The article came straight from the Sacramento Bee and I would have expected some anti comments in it, but it's fairly neutral. Of course, this was completely preventable, but kids will be kids.
Ed
The pistol was taken from an unlocked nightstand and fired by the victim's teenage cousin, police say.
Link
Child's play turned deadly Friday afternoon when a gun went off in a North Sacramento home, killing a 5-year-old boy, authorities said.
The shooting occurred as two children were playing with plastic swords and a loaded pistol in a bedroom of a house in the 200 block of Olmstead Way, said Sacramento police spokesman Sgt. Justin Risley.
The gun fired, hitting Josh Lee in the face. His 13-year-old cousin pulled the trigger, Risley said.
The boys had taken the .380-caliber semiautomatic pistol from an unlocked nightstand. The gun belonged to Josh's father, Risley said.
"The cousin had removed the clip thinking he had unloaded the weapon," Risley said. "Not being familiar with an automatic weapon, he wasn't aware that there was one still in the chamber. He fired a round, unintentionally striking the victim in the head."
The two boys live at the residence, and both had stayed home sick Friday from school, he said. Josh's parents were at work when the shooting occurred.
Neighbor Dee Tamasoa was at home when the boy's uncle frantically knocked on her door about 3:30 p.m.
"He asked if he could use the phone, saying Josh had been shot," Tamasoa recalled.
She followed the uncle next door with a portable phone. Inside, she said, she saw Josh lying on a couch next to his hysterical grandmother.
"I couldn't look at the little boy," Tamasoa said, having glanced at his wound.
Dispatchers were on the phone, giving the uncle CPR instructions.
"He was pumping the boy's chest with one hand, with the other he held the phone," she said. "When we felt for a pulse we didn't find anything."
Tamasoa, who has three children of her own, said her 6-year-old son frequently played with Josh, who was a kindergartner at a nearby school.
"It's scary" she said.
Police and firefighters arrived to find Josh barely clinging to life. He was taken to UC Davis Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
The cousin was taken to a Sacramento mental health facility Friday night after threatening to injure himself.
"We are concerned for his safety and emotional instability after the incident," Risley said.
Investigators recovered the weapon from the nightstand.
The investigation report will be forwarded to the district attorney for review. Prosecutors will determine whether the parents will be charged as a result of the unsecured weapon, Risley said.
Sgt. Paul Freeman said he heard the initial call, which came in as a 3-year-old with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Freeman has a 3-year-old son and a 1-year-old daughter.
"As I was hearing the details I was getting a sinking feeling in my stomach," he said. "Immediately I thought about my own kids."
Freeman said that as an officer he keeps a gun at home. He and his wife frequently have talked about the danger it poses to his children. To protect them, he keeps the gun secured in a gun safe.
"The Police Department just had a campaign that promoted gunlocks," Freeman said, "but we still have kids playing with guns."
Gunlocks are accessible to the public through Project ChildSafe, a national program that hands out the locks through law enforcement agencies.
"This is a real tragedy, but these types of things are preventable," Risley said.
Citizens interested in gunlocks should contact their local law enforcement agency, he said.
----------------------------------
All in all, not a bad story. The article came straight from the Sacramento Bee and I would have expected some anti comments in it, but it's fairly neutral. Of course, this was completely preventable, but kids will be kids.
Ed
