Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Assistant Chief J.D. Stronko told reporters a 9-year-old accidentally shot a 6-year-old to death at a home in the 5500 block of Shady Pine Drive on Monday. (Stronko photo via JSO, street image from Google Maps)
Tragedy struck Monday in Jacksonville, Florida, when a 9-year-old got his hands on a gun that accidentally went off and fatally struck a 6-year-old.
Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Assistant Chief J.D. Stronko told reporters during a press conference that officers received a call about a person shot shortly before 3 p.m. on the city’s west side. When they arrived, they found a 6-year-old with a gunshot wound to the head. The child was pronounced dead at a hospital, Stronko said.
“Initial investigation determined the two juveniles were located inside of the residence in the care of an adult,” Stronko said. “One of the juveniles was able to obtain a firearm and fired a single shot striking the victim. There is no indication of criminal violence related to this incident.”
At the time of the press conference on Monday, it wasn’t clear how the child obtained the gun or how it went off. No one has been arrested.
More on Law&Crime:Mother of 6-year-old boy who shot first-grade teacher pleads guilty to felony child neglect
In an email to Law&Crime on Wednesday, a sheriff’s office spokesperson said the incident remains under investigation and declined to release any new details.
According to The Trace, an organization that investigates gun violence in America, at least 162 children under the age of 13 got their hands on a gun and accidentally wounded themselves or another child under 13 between May 1, 2022, and June of this year. A total of 71 children were killed and 96 injured.
There have been several recent incidents involving children finding guns and them going off. An 8-year-old boy accidentally shot himself to death in Chicago on Tuesday. A 19-year-old is facing neglect charges after a 2-year-old shot a 1-year-old to death on Aug. 8 in South Bend, Indiana. Last month a 3-year-old accidentally shot and killed his 1-year-old sibling with an unsecured handgun near San Diego.
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