12-Year-Old Florida Boy Dies After Accidentally Shooting Himself With A Loaded Gun He Found At His Friend’s House During Unsupervised Sleepover
Police were called to a Lakeland home on Friday to report gunfire
The victim’s mother said she was unaware that both children were home alone
The surviving boy’s parents were both working at the time of the tragic accident
Their son had never mentioned inviting a guest or even having a sleepover with them
No charges have been filed so far as the investigation into the case continues
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A boy in Florida has died after accidentally shooting himself with a loaded gun while staying with a friend.
The 12-year-old child, whose identity has yet to be shared with the general public, was found by police Friday at his friend’s home in Lakeland – east of Tampa – after his mother dropped him off for a few hours. earlier.
In their report, local authorities said no one else was in the house other than the two boys at the time of the incident. The two minors found the loaded gun in a car parked in the garage.
When the 12-year-old grabbed the firearm, he unintentionally fired a bullet and fatally injured himself, Lakeland police said.
An unsupervised 12-year-old boy accidentally shot himself at a friend’s house in Lakeland on Friday after being invited to stay
The child had been dropped off by his mother, who only knew after the incident that her son and his friend would be home alone. The minor found a loaded gun in a car parked in the home’s garage. In the photo: the driveway of the house
Officers were called to the residence around 7 p.m. before reporting the shooting. It remains unclear whether both children were still home alone at the time.
DailyMail.com has contacted Lakeland Police for further comment.
It is believed the boy was alive when police officers found him and was suffering from a single gunshot wound before medical workers arrived for help.
He was then rushed to Tampa General Hospital where he eventually died of his injuries.
The 12-year-old’s mother told local police she had been under the illusion that an adult had supervised both children, including her son, police said. Fox news.
In reality, none of the surviving boy’s parents were aware that their son had invited someone to their home and was at work at the time of the shooting.
Parents of the surviving boy told police they were unaware of a slumber party and were at work at the time of the incident. They went on to tell the police that they had not given their son permission to have anyone in the house
They went on to tell the police that he had not given permission to host a sleepover.
The investigation into the accidental death continues, but no charges were filed in connection with the case on Sunday evening.
Meanwhile, gunfire accidents by children with a firearm increased 31 percent during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic compared to a year earlier, according to NPR.
From March to December 2019, there were 98 deaths from accidental handling of a loaded gun by children. During the same period in 2020, 128 deaths were reported, according to research by the advocacy organization Everytown for Gun Safety.
At least 259 accidental shootings by children occurred in 2021, almost half of them (104) ended in death, while 168 others involved some form of serious injury.