4-year-old boy Ajani Lane has passed away after he accidentally shot himself in the face in the East Liberty section of Pittsburgh, reports CBS Pittsburgh.
One guardian was at the residence when the shooting took place around 8:15 pm on Monday.
“This was a devastating tragedy. We believe it was an accident. A 4-year-old boy got a hold of a gun and shot himself in the face,” Cara Cruz, a spokesperson for Pittsburgh police said.
“Medics were there immediately,” continued Cruz. “It was literally minutes after this happened and they transported the child to Children’s Hospital in extremely critical condition and very sadly he passed away a short time later.”
Josh Fleitman, of CeaseFirePa, said that the tragedy should be a warning signal to all gun owners with small children.
“This issue of unintentional shootings among children has long been a problem and it remains a big one,” Fleitman said. “It happens a lot more than you might think actually.”
“Sometimes they think simply hiding it in a cabinet, putting it on a bookshelf, is sufficient in getting it out of the kid’s reach, but there have been studies that show kids, they’re always watching and they know a lot of the time,” Fleitman added. “Seventy-three percent of cases in kids under 10 know where the parent store their firearms.”
Police are currently investigating if any adults should face charges in his death.
