DETROIT (WXYZ) — The father of a one-year-old baby shot by a six-year-old cousin claims the firearm was secured in a safe under a bed. Detroit Police said it was not.
"These types of shootings are completely and totally and absolutely preventable," said Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy.
"It is just infuriating and it's going to continue to happen," Worthy said, adding that her office will continue to charge in these cases.
This latest shooting involving a child and a gun Detroit police said was not secure took place Wednesday evening on Tennessee Street on Detroit's east side.
The baby's father said his son underwent surgery Thursday morning and is expected to recover.
The father said the several children were inside the home and he was walking back inside from the backyard when he heard the gunshot.
Detroit Police said the baby was shot twice.
"This is not a Second Amendment issue. This is not a partisan issue. It's simply an issue of keeping our children safe," said Worthy.
In early 2022, Worthy's office charged Itterlee McNeil with child abuse after her eight-year-old great-grandson shot his five-year-old brother in the shoulder with a gun McNeil put in a fanny pack under the bed.
"When I heard the gun go off, I knew, immediately, that they had found my gun," McNeil told 7 Action News Thursday.
McNeil, who works with Stop The Violence, said she's not against anyone having a gun but does want people to properly secure their firearms around children.
"You must secure these guns because these kids will find stuff where you think they won't, they will," she said.
McNeil had been charged with child abuse for the shooting involving her great-grandsons. She said she received two years probation and fines.
"I was just lucky my grandson didn't lose his life," she said. "If you have a weapon, please lock it up. Watch your children at all times. If they're quiet, they're into something."
Detroit Police continue to investigate the shooting involving the children on Tennessee Street.
