Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Trio of unintentional shootings involving children in Texas in the past week

Last Wednesday, 2-year-old Kinzler Davis, of Corsicana, Texas found a loaded, unlocked handgun in a bedroom in his house and unintentionally shot himself in the head. The boy was flown to the Children's Hospital in Dallas but died of his injuries later that night.
According to police reports, the boy's father was in a walk-in closet in the bedroom at the time of the shooting. The district attorney's office will determine if any charges will be filed. However, under Texas law while a person can be held criminally liable for failing to secure a firearm, if the negligent person is a member of the family of the child who discharged the firearm, and the child was killed, an arrest cannot be made until seven days after the offense was committed.
On Saturday, 5-year-old Jason Haley and another boy, 8, were alone in a bedroom in a house in Denton, Texas when the older boy found a loaded, unlocked .22-caliber rifle. The boy picked up the rifle, pointed it at Jason and fired the gun. Jason was shot in the head. He was taken to the Children's Hospital in Dallas and died of his injuries Monday afternoon. Jason's grandparents were in the house at the time of the shooting, but his parents were at work.
Also on Saturday, a 6-year-old boy from Amarillo, Texas, was at a relative's house when he found a loaded, unlocked handgun that had been "hidden" by the homeowner and unintentionally shot himself in the abdomen. The boy was flow to Lubbock for treatment and is expected to survive. He is currently listed in stable condition. Police reminded the public that children are naturally curious and hiding a weapon out of reach is not the same as gun locks and gun safes.

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