Illinois, United States
In a case of shooting, a story that is all too familiar in the United States has emerged: A child finds a gun and accidentally shoots it.
A 3-year-old child in Dolton, Illinois accidentally killed his mother while playing with his father's gun.
The shooting happened around 8:30 pm on Saturday. Police said the boy found the weapon while he and his family were sitting inside their car -- the father behind the wheel, the mother in the passenger seat and the boy in the back seat -- outside a Food 4 Less store in the community about 20 miles south of Chicago.
âHe somehow got ahold of the gun and began playing with it in a playful manner, pointed the gun and fired the shot,â said Dolton police chief Robert Collins Jr.
Daejah Bennett, 22, was struck by a bullet in the neck and was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.
On Monday, the police chief announced that the father of the 3-year-old now faces misdemeanour gun charges.
Romell Watson, 23, who was taken into custody after the shooting, will be charged with unlawful use of a weapon, said the Police Chief.
According to Collins, the man will be processed for the charge and was released Monday evening.
âWe do not have anything to indicate that the dad fired the weapon so the avenue we are pursuing is that the gun was his responsibility,â Collins said.
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As of earlier this week, Collins said investigators were working with Cook County prosecutors to determine the exact charges against Watson. However, he said there was no indication that he directed the boy to fire the weapon or even saw it at the time of Saturday's shooting.
Investigators have already determined that the father owned the weapon legally but lacked the concealed carry permit he was required to carry it in a vehicle.
âHe was legally entitled to own the gun, however, he transported the weapon in a vehicle in a manner not prescribed by law,â Collins said.
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A forensic interview of the child was conducted, and the boy was interviewed by someone who specializes in talking with children. âThe child said he was the one who fired the gun," he said. âWe are confident he fired the gun.â
âThis is just such a tragedy,â he said.
Everytown for Gun Safety, a leading gun-control advocacy group, reports that in 2020, there were 142 deaths and 242 injuries from unintentional shootings by children under 18 years old.
The number of deaths increased to 154 in 2021, while the number of wounded increased to 244. In these shootings so far this year, 16 people have been killed and 29 injured, according to the group.
(With inputs from agencies)