Florida Toddler Shoots Himself 'Point Blank' Using His Father's Handgun; Declared Dead in the Hospital

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By Jo Anne Hubert , Parent Herald Feb 20, 04:53 am

A Florida kid killed himself with a gun he got from his parent's bedroom nightstand.

Authorities "responded to one of the worst calls imaginable," as described by the Volusia County Sheriff's Office, at Nectarine Road, Daytona Park Estates in DeLand, at 6:22 P.M.

They found a three-year-old boy with injuries "too severe" after he shot himself at "point blank range" using his father's handgun in his parent's bedroom while the latter was out grocery shopping, NBC News reported.

The first deputy arrived on the scene at 6:29 P.M. and tried to save the kid's life but failed. He was declared dead in the hospital at 7:03 P.M.

Two guns unsafely stored at home

The initial investigation stated that while the parents were at Publix, their 16-year-old daughter was instructed to look after her brothers, seven and three. The three-year-old entered his parent's bedroom and accessed his father's handgun on the nightstand.

According to Sheriff Mike Chitwood in a news conference published on Volusia Sheriff's Office's Facebook account, for some reason, which no one will ever know, the kid wandered into his parent's bedroom, picked out a loaded Canik 9 mm gun, "turned it toward himself and shot himself point blank range." It only took 4.6 pounds of pressure for a toddler to pull the trigger.

He further revealed that a second firearm was in the house, a Glock, and alarmingly it was just placed on top of the refrigerator.

"I would like them to listen to that 911 call. I would like to have them hear the 16-year-old say, 'My brother shot himself and he's not breathing.' I think if you heard that, you would run out right now, and buy a gun safe. There's a message here to all parents that own guns and that message is, if you have little ones, even if you have teenagers, you've got to lock them up man, because you just don't know," the Sheriff cannot help but stressed when asked what he wanted to say to other families about the critical concern on gun storage at home.

20 unintentional gun shootings by kids in 2023

The father of the three-year-old is a Florida state corrections officer who stated that his two firearms were usually kept in a safe inside their bedroom, which the investigators saw but found to be "inoperable."

According to the father, during the time of the incident, the electronic lock function of the safe stopped working, so he decided to place his gun on his nightstand in the bedroom and above the kitchen's refrigerator.

Sheriff Chitwood committed in the new briefing to thoroughly investigate the case and submit gathered information and evidence to the State Attorney's Office for review. It still cannot be said what charges will be filed against the father and the victim's family.

It is still the second month of 2023, yet the advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety has already reported at least 20 unintentional shootings by children in the United States. These shootings have resulted in nine deaths and 12 fatal injuries.

Last year, at least 324 unintentional shootings by children from around the nation resulted in 145 deaths and 189 injuries.

The state's Department of Children and Families has already met with the family providing resources and supervision. The first responders are also getting services considering the trauma they experienced from the horrifying incident.