4-year-old Detroit girl finds rifle, kills cousin

[News_Editor]

DETROIT, MICHIGAN (BNO NEWS) -- A 4-year-old girl staying at the house of her grandparents in the U.S. city of Detroit on Thursday found a loaded rifle and fatally shot her 4-year-old cousin, police said on Friday. It was not immediately clear if anyone may face criminal charges.

The incident happened at around 4:35 p.m. local time on Thursday at a home on the city's west side, where three young children had been left in the care of a family friend. Detroit police said a 4-year-old girl, while playing and watching TV, had found a loaded rifle under a bed and aimed it at her 4-year-old cousin, killing him with a single gunshot to his chest.

"The 4-year-old male victim was visiting his grandparents who left the victim in the care of a family friend. The victim's cousin, a 4-year old female, found a rifle inside the home and shot the victim while playing with it," a police spokesperson said on Friday, adding that the victim's 5-year-old sister was also in the room.

Police continued their investigation on Friday and the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office will determine whether any adults will face criminal charges. It was not immediately clear who owned the small-caliber rifle, where the family friend was, and neither the name of the victim nor the name of the shooter were released.

(Copyright 2014 by BNO News B.V. All rights reserved. Info: [email protected].)

[Mosha]

Charge the "carer" with 1st degree murder, and perhaps people will start to use their brains.

[aaacorp]

Good old America, and yet the NRA fanboys are still complaining...

[samran]

Sad, so sad. But expect the NRAites to come along soon and argue that it is an acceptable price to pay for freedom and liberty.

[jayceenik]

Darwin 1 - NRA 0

[Sceptict11]

There will be mass wailing, tears, candlelit vigils , an emotional funeral followed by a memorial service.

After all that is over a done with nothing will change !

Americans have "rights" !

Guns and there possession are the number one US religion .

[Steely Dan]

Is it just me, or has there been a marked increase in the number of incidents involving children killing or being killed by guns they find lying around? If so I'd be interested in why that should be, if not I would have to conclude much of the press coverage is politically motivated, whereas other issues such as honour killings scarcely if ever get reported.

[NeverSure]

Whoever left that gun there in a loaded condition within the reach of kids should go to prison.

And I agree. The press is biased and under reports honor killings and other killings in all countries, and loves to focus on the US.

[samran]

The reason why they report this is that people have become de-sensitised to your 'normal' shooting. When you have 32,000 gun deaths per year in the US, stories like this stand out.

But, predictably, faced with this story and the statistics, the usual suspects play the game of red herring, trying to create some sort of distraction, in this case, honour killings, as some sort of higher priority, unless there are 32,000 honour killings in the US per year, or course.

[F430murci]

Why is it reported? Wow, what an insensitive question. A 4 year old shooting a 4 year old is should be extremely heartbreaking no matter what side of the gun debate your are on. One family grieving the loss of a toddler and the other raising a child that may be emotionally scarred for life from seeing what he or she did. Children that age understand more than we like to believe.

[Sceptict11]

Why is it reported? Wow, what an insensitive question. A 4 year old shooting a 4 year old is should be extremely heartbreaking no matter what side of the gun debate your are on. One family grieving the loss of a toddler and the other raising a child that may be emotionally scarred for life from seeing what he or she did. Children that age understand more than we like to believe.

This is what some bring upon themselves.

Leaving loaded guns lying around ?

Loaded guns that children can easily access ?

These "Adults" need removing from society and locked up for life.

Live children should be removed and placed with safe, non gun possessing , adoptive parents .

Nothing "insensitive" about the truth !

[F430murci]

Why is it reported? Wow, what an insensitive question. A 4 year old shooting a 4 year old is should be extremely heartbreaking no matter what side of the gun debate your are on. One family grieving the loss of a toddler and the other raising a child that may be emotionally scarred for life from seeing what he or she did. Children that age understand more than we like to believe.

This is what some bring upon themselves.

Leaving loaded guns lying around ?

Loaded guns that children can easily access ?

These "Adults" need removing from society and locked up for life.

Live children should be removed and placed with safe, non gun possessing , adoptive parents .

Nothing "insensitive" about the truth !

First, this has zero to with my post responding to the question of why is it being reported.

Second, these four year olds did not bring it upon themselves nor did the parents of the dead child or the child emotionally scared from having killed another child.

You can focus on the grand parents all you like if that suits your agenda. I would rather be concerned about the innocent victims here.

Too bad the NRA is so opposed to mandatory locks or having guns not use being stored in a safe locked cabinets. Then this would be a crime. I would venture to say most gun owners keep a loaded gun near their bed "just in case." Whether in a drawer, under mattress or under bed, it poses a danger to little ones with no clue.

You talk about being locked up for life so you obviously have no clue as to crimes or how crimes are graded. I recall the Kentucky child about same age shooting his brother not too long ago. No crime charged. Why, because in Kentucky guns are more important than children safety and there is no law on the books that clearly addresses this like mandatory gun locks.

[Sceptict11]

"Why, because in Kentucky guns are more important than children safety"

You said it !

What more is needed to be said ?

Go weep and kill some more children as a result of crazy gun "laws"

Edit

Would you prefer this sad incident NOT to be reported ?

You wish American irresponsibility that results in child deaths to be hidden ?

Man up -----campaign for the removal of guns from society !

What no balls ?------------do not worry in Yankland you have good company !

[folium]

Is it just me, or has there been a marked increase in the number of incidents involving children killing or being killed by guns they find lying around? If so I'd be interested in why that should be, if not I would have to conclude much of the press coverage is politically motivated, whereas other issues such as honour killings scarcely if ever get reported.

Isn't the "diversionary swerve" option 3 on your list of poor responses to a post?

It does seem that child victims of gun "accidents" are on the rise:

http://www.newser.com/story/176570/us-child-gun-deaths-rose-60-in-10-years.html

Just to keep the patriotic element at bay, having lived & worked in the US for a decade (spending time in all 50 states), plus having married into it ( twice!) and thus having American kids, might mean that I have a smidgin of understanding, notwithstanding the fact that I am neither citizen nor thus voter....

The US is an amazing country blighted by two major issues, race and guns.

If people choose to allow fellow citizens to own guns that's their right, but to allow unbridled access to weaponry, up to military-grade hardware ( Barratt 50 anybody?) without any necessity to practise basic security or sense re such weapons is beyond comprehension. When was the last/ first time a parent of a child gun incident went to jail for failing to secure their weapons and more importantly the ammunition? Until there is a basic requirement for weapons to be stored securely and for the ammunition to be secured elsewhere, this type of incident will increase in lockstep with gun ownership.

http://www.newser.com/story/176570/us-child-gun-deaths-rose-60-in-10-years.html

As per previous threads I reluctantly now close my eyes and find it hard to feel any surprise, regret or sadness when such incidents are a direct result of an attitude/actions that would result in a court martial for a serving soldier, but appears to be tolerated in untrained, uncontrolled civilians.

The UK is blighted by poor dental care and lousy weather. Mercifully neither are likely to kill me or my children......

[Sayonarax]

The Piers Morgan parade out helping with agenda 21... shame shame.

Take our guns and put us in camps.
Apparently you never bothered reading history.