Brooklyn Center man charged after 4-year-old boy shoots himself; gun experts urge safety
A 28-year-old man is facing two charges after his 4-year-old nephew shot himself in the head in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, on Wednesday, according to court records.
The Brooklyn Center man is charged with one count each of child endangerment and negligent storage of a loaded firearm.
Officers who responded to Wednesday's shooting at a Brooklyn Center home provided medical aid to the boy before he was taken to the hospital with injuries that are not life-threatening, charges said.
Investigators say the house belongs to the boy's grandparents, and his uncle lives at the residence. Charges said the boy was supposed to spend the night with his uncle in the uncle's room for a sleepover.
The man was playing video games with a friend when the shooting happened, according to court documents.
The boy's grandmother told officers that the man is the only person in the residence who has a gun, the gun was inside the home and that the boy found the gun in the man's room, charges said.
Police then searched the house for the firearm with help from the grandmother. Officers allegedly found the gun wrapped in a towel in the basement, a spent shell casing inside the chamber and a loaded magazine.
According to charges, police also found a trigger mechanism for a gun in the man's dresser.
If convicted, the man faces up to two years in jail and a maximum fine of $6,000.
On Monday, a 12-year-old boy "accidentally shot himself" in St. Paul, Minnesota, according to police. The boy was taken to the hospital in critical condition. Officials haven't said who the gun belonged to or how the boy got hold of it.
Gun experts, county officials urge safety
Ramsey County Attorney John Choi says the message of safe gun storage and proper handling of a firearm is one that will always be important to share.
"If you know of a family member that has guns in the home, talk to them about locking their guns up, securing it properly using a gun lock," said Choi.
Ramsey County offers free gun locks at libraries and community centers across the county, as does Hennepin County.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources offers firearm safety courses for kids and adults across the state for less than $10.
"Tragic and, in my opinion, it's something that is avoidable," said conservation officer David Schottenbauer, who helps run those courses for the DNR.
Schottenbauer says it's important as a firearm owner not to become complacent and have safety conversations with children and teenagers.
"As far as storage is concerned, we really encourage people to always keep firearms in cases," said Schottenbauer.
According to the nonprofit Everytown for Gun Safety, 360 children were involved in unintentional shootings nationwide last year, accidentally shooting themselves or someone else. So far in 2025, the group has tracked over 140 of these incidents.
As for the shooting in St. Paul, Choi says no charges have been filed.
"The police will look at the entire circumstances and try to figure out what actually happened," said Choi.
Minnesota gun safety advocates have pushed for stiffer gun storage laws in the legislature. Maggiy Emery, executive director of Protect Minnesota, says they're still working on that legislation.
"If you're at home and your firearm is not on your body, it has to be safely secured," Emery said of the legislation they're working on. "It cannot be at one of those access points for a child, a vulnerable adult, someone in crisis to have easy access to."
Emery says that, according to data compiled by Protect Minnesota, 18 children under the age of 19 lost their lives due to gun violence in the state in 2024.