5-year-old shot dead by child who found shotgun in grandparents’ bedroom, MI cops say
The grandparents of a 5-year-old Michigan boy who was accidentally struck and killed by a shotgun shot in April have been arrested, according to court records obtained by news outlets.
The Garfield Township pair were arraigned on May 2 for felony violation of Michigan’s secure storage law involving the death of a minor, according to court documents obtained by WXMI.
On April 1, while watching a movie in his grandparent’s bedroom with other children in the family, a 5-year-old was shot in the face by a young relative who found a 12-gauge shotgun behind the bedroom door, court records show.
The boy pointed the gun at the 5-year-old and said “I’m going to shoot you,” according to the arraignment transcript.
When a third child intervened, the boy put the gun down, and in doing so, accidentally fired the shotgun, hitting the 5-year-old in the head, records show.
The child was pronounced dead at the scene, law enforcement said.
Authorities located other guns on the property, including a pistol and several long guns that were either loaded or not safely and appropriately stored, court records show.
“The adults all knew there were guns in that room,” the victim’s father told WOOD TV8. “They should never have let children in that room, and now, sadly, my son’s gone.
Michigan’s new secure storage law, enacted in February, “requires individuals to keep unattended weapons unloaded and locked with a locking device or stored in a locked box or container if it is reasonably known that a minor is likely to be present on the premises.”
The grandparents are due back in court for probable cause hearings on May 16, court records show.
Bond for the couple was set at $50,000 each.
Bond conditions also prohibit the possession or purchase of firearms, as well as any unsupervised contact with minors under the age of 18, court records show.
Garfield Township is about a 135-mile drive north from Grand Rapids.
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