Detroit mother faces safe storage violation after 2-year-old is shot at home

A Detroit mother has been charged with violating Michigan's firearms safe storage law after her 2-year-old son was reported to have found an unsecured handgun and shot himself, the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office said.

Amoya Black, 26, is due to be arraigned Thursday in 36th District Court in Detroit.

The shooting happened about 8 a.m. Tuesday in the 12900 block of Evergreen Road. When Detroit police arrived, they found the boy with a gunshot wound to the stomach. He was taken to a hospital and was initially listed in critical condition. A 4-year-old who was also at home was not hurt.

Prosecutors said the unsecured handgun was in a bedroom. Police said Black was in the kitchen cooking breakfast when she heard a loud pop.

The gun was registered to Black. Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison said she did not have a concealed pistol license but was not required to have one for a weapon kept in her home. Bettison said Tuesday that police had not yet determined exactly how the weapon was found and accessed.

The charge includes a stipulation that a minor was seriously injured because of access to an unsecured weapon.

Michigan's Secure Storage Law requires gun owners to keep unattended weapons unloaded and locked, or stored in a locked box or container, if it is "reasonably known" that a minor is likely to be present in the area.

The above video originally aired on Nov. 3, 2026.