Detroit father in custody after 8-year-old boy shot in head with unsecured firearm
(CBS DETROIT) - The Detroit Police Department says the father of an 8-year-old boy who was critically injured after being shot in the head Tuesday with an unsecured gun is being held on charges of second-degree child neglect.
The shooting happened at about noon on Tuesday, Oct. 3, at a residence in the 14800 block of Snowden.
According to Detroit Police Chief James White, the gun was unsecured, and it is unclear at this time if the child shot himself or if another child got a hold of the gun.
There were four children between the ages of one and eight in the home at the time of the shooting. In addition, four adults were in the house but told police they had been sleeping.
Authorities have not recovered the gun involved in the incident.
"It's a very tragic and sad situation. We've been here too many times, and here we are again where it did not have to happen. We did not have to have another young child in the community shot, and we should be sick and appalled by it, just absolutely tired of it," White said.
White also said there was a 30-minute delay before someone had called 911.
In addition, Child Protective Services had previously been called to the home, and one of the adults in the house during the incident had previously been arrested for illegally carrying a weapon.
