North Miami 10-year-old boy died from self-inflicted gunshot wound, police say
MIAMI - A 10-year-old North Miami boy died after he reportedly shot himself Monday night.
Rescue crews were called to a home in the 14000 block of NW 5th Place for a report of gunfire. When they arrived, they found the young boy suffering from a gunshot wound, according to police.
"It appears the injury was a gunshot which was self-inflicted. We do not, at this time, think there is any foul play," said North Miami police Chief Cherise Gause. "It appears to be accidental at this time."
The gun was registered to the boy's father.
"The parent was at the house at the time of the incident," said Gause, who added there were no other children in the home at the time of the shooting.
The boy was rushed to the hospital but did not survive.
"This is a tragic incident that we don't want to see anybody in our community go through," Gause said. "This is an incident that certainly can be avoided if we practice safe storage of firearms, especially where children are involved,"
She had a warning for gun owners.
"One of the things I can say to gun owners is that they be well versed in firearms safety and taking courses and making sure firearms are secured so that we can prevent incidents like this from happening in the future," Gause said.
She said her investigators will be looking into how the shooting occurred and where the gun was at the time of the incident.
She said her investigators will be looking into how the shooting occurred and where the gun was at the time of the incident.
The findings of the investigation will be turned over to the state prosecutors who will determine if charges will be filed.
"The tragedy of all of this is that for the most part these cases are preventable," Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle told CBS News Miami. "It is preventable if we all put our minds to understanding that as gun owners we have a responsibility to keep those firearms stored and unloaded and in a box away from children. Children think they are toys and they play with them. If they see them on a couch they go for them. And they know where you are hiding items or in drawers and we have seen cases where hiding items is not sufficient.
"According to the Centers for Disease Control, the CDC says the number one killer of children between the ages of 2 and 4 is gun violence (and) mostly self-inflicted wounds," Gause said. "So it tells us that as gun owners we have to be smart owners. You are responsible. If you have a gun in your home and a child has access to it and dies, you can be held responsible for that death."
The Monday night shooting in North Miami was the second reported incident in the area of a shooting involving a young child in as many days.
A young toddler suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the hand on Sunday after she picked up an unattended gun in southwest Miami-Dade, police said.
The 3-year-old girl was at a residence on SW 220th Terrace when she was shot.
The girl's relative, identified as Orlando Young, 23, was arrested and is facing charges in connection with the incident.
