Child shot by sibling with unsecured gun on Detroit's west side, police say

Detroit police are investigating after a child was shot by their sibling with an unsecured gun Wednesday afternoon on the city's west side.

The shooting happened in the 8000 block of Artesian Street. Police Chief Todd Bettison says the child, who was shot in the face, was taken to a hospital and is listed in critical condition.

Bettison says a preliminary investigation found that a neighbor called 911 at about 2:19 p.m. and police arrived at the scene within minutes. Bettison says three children, ages 11, 9 and 4, were inside the home alone at the time of the shooting.

Bettison did not immediately say which child was shot and which child fired the handgun.

Bettison says that no arrests have been made in connection with this incident yet.  

Bettison reiterated the importance of storing guns, saying, "This is so preventable." He is calling on all gun owners to make an inventory of their weapons and ensure that they are secured.

"Oftentimes, when we talk about securing your weapon and giving out a gun lock, we just assume that we have one gun in the house. I know people who don't even know how many guns they have in the house, so I need everybody to do a gun inventory and find the guns that you forgot about in your house. And if a gun lock doesn't work, get a big gun safe and put them all in the safe," Bettison said.