The way I see it, guns and firearms have no place in the hands of children. And this tragic story is unfortunately a sad example of exactly why.
On May 9, police were called to Griffin, Georgia, after getting reports of gunfire.
Officers arriving at the scene discovered a wounded 12-year-old boy. He had been shot in the chest and was fighting for his life.
The 12-year-old was rushed to hospital but unfortunately there was nothing the doctors could do. The boy died from his injuries, according to ABC.
It soon became clear that the 12-year-old had been shot by his own 5-year-old brother. The younger brother had found what he thought was a toy gun in the woods and accidentally pulled the trigger.
But how could a loaded gun by left lying out in the woods where children were obviously playing? Griffin County police began investigating the case and soon got an idea for what likely happened.
During a routine traffic, check earlier that day, police had stopped a car. But an unknown number of individuals jumped out and fled the scene toward the forested area where the tragic shooting would take place just two hours later.
“As UPD officers searched the area they found a bag of suspected MDMA and recovered it where it was turned in for examination,” Griffin Police Department said in a statement released on social media.
“A weapon was not found at that time. UPD Officers later made contact with the suspected driver of the fleeing vehicle who provided them with information relative to the investigation. “
The police also interviewed several kids who were present when the 12-year-old was shot dead. Meanwhile, investigators spoke to the victim’s siblings, aged seven and five years old.
They told police that the gun had been found in the same wooded area the suspects had fled into after leaving their car.
“The five-year-old [indicated] that he had found the gun in the wooded area near the location of the shooting (in proximity to where officers had previously retrieved the suspected bag of drugs) and thought it was a toy, accidentally discharged striking his brother in the chest,” the statement read.
“Evidence and witness accounts are consistent with this account by the five-year-old.”
As a result, police are right now focusing on finding the people who ran from the car and are thus suspected of dumping weapons and drugs in the forested area.
Griffin Police Department Chief Mike Yates said: “The Griffin Police Department continues to investigate this case and all information has not been obtained from the facts and circumstances discovered leading to a strong hypothesis, substantiated by evidence that this incident is a tragic accident.
“We will leave no stone unturned as we search for the individuals responsible for the abandonment of this weapon.”
A truly horrifying and terrible accident. I hope they can link that gun to the right person!
