North America

Three-year-old boy shoots one-year-old boy dead in Ohio

cc015940-6a6d-45ec-aa36-d444a8d4848d

An American toddler has killed a one-year-old boy after shooting a gun that was left unattended inside a home in Cleveland, Ohio.

The three-year-old boy pulled the trigger and shot the baby in the face Sunday afternoon, when there was at least one adult home, said Cleveland Police Chief Calvin Williams.

The baby, who was later named as Braylon Robinson, was taken to an area hospital, with the gunshot wound, but later was pronounced dead, emergency workers said.

His mother was heard screaming on the back porch after learning her son had died. She lived with three small children in the house, according to the neighbors.

It is unclear whether the baby was related to the shooter who has not been identified yet.

“It’s a sad day for Cleveland,” Williams told reporters outside the home.

“This fascination that we have with handguns, not just in this city but in this country, has to stop. This is a senseless loss of life,” he added.

An investigation is underway now to find out the identity of the person responsible for bringing the gun into the house and leaving it within the kid’s reach.

Williams said the person would likely face charges in relation to the tragic incident.

“Currently we’re investigating where this firearm came from. We’re also investigating how this tragedy actually happened. A three-year-old can’t be held accountable for a tragedy like this,” said Williams.

“There have to be adults that either supplied the weapons, had charge of the weapons or knew the weapons were there and didn’t do anything to safeguard them,” he added.

Every year, more than 30,000 people are shot and killed in the United States. The US averages 87 deaths each day as a function of gun violence, with an average of 183 injured, according to the University of Chicago Crime Lab and the Centers for Disease Control.

Many critics blame the notoriously liberal gun control laws in the US for the country’s high rate of gun violence.

Back to top button