5-year-old shot and killed inside Calumet City home

CHICAGO (CBS)-- A 5-year-old child was shot and killed inside a home in Calumet City Thursday night.

Calumet City Police Chief Kevin Kolosh said, around 9 p.m., officers responded to a report of a child shot in the 200 block of Paxton Avenue. 

When they arrived, officers found 5-year-old Kentrell Pouncey had been shot in the head. He was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

DJ Mezei took video of the first responders who tried to save Kentrell's life.

"I was just hoping that everybody was safe, because it's a good community. You don't really see that type of stuff out here, you know?" he said.

Kolosh said Kentrell's mother and three other children under age 15, all apparently Kentrell's siblings, were at the home at the time. One of the other children had brought the gun into the home without their mother's knowledge. It's unclear who fired the shot that killed Kentrell.

"The family is extremely cooperative with us," Kolosh said, adding that it can be tricky trying to determine exactly what happened when the situation involves children, "especially when they're dealing with the trauma of losing a family member."

The gun apparently was found at another location and then brought into the home.

"This is a tragic incident; one that nobody, nobody wants to speak about, nobody wants to hear about, but it's also a reminder – a strong reminder – of the importance of gun safety; that parents need to have talks with their children, whether or not they have guns in the house," Kolosh said. "The conversations should specifically state 'Do not touch guns, and if you see a gun, notify a responsible adult.'"

Therapist Cheryl Cole said she counsels a lot of her clients on how to talk to kids about guns, adding some don't want to have those conversations.

"They feel like, 'We don't have them in our house. We don't have to worry about it,' but I think today we're learning, unfortunately, that our children are in schools, our children are at other people's homes, our children can find a gun," she said. "What your kids don't know can hurt them."

Calumet City leaders also pointed to another incident less than four miles away – a 9-year-old who brought a gun to his South Holland daycare last month, staff realizing he'd had it with him at school all day.

Neighbor Jermaine Massey said he heard about the daycare situation, too, and wants to see changes.

"It's real sad. It's real sad these kids getting a hold of these guns," he said. "We should do some more safety with our gun laws. I'm a concealed carry myself, but I always lock my weapons up."

Cole said parents should emphasize the danger of guns with young kids, telling them to avoid them, don't touch them, much like you would tell them to avoid strangers. She said to have conversations about the morality of firearms when they're older.

Kolosh said the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services has been notified, and is handling the placement of the children, who have been temporarily placed in the care of another family member.