WARREN, Mich. (WXYZ) — A 3-year-old child accidentally shot himself in the hand after finding an unsecured semi-automatic handgun at the Cove on 10 Apartments, Warren police said.
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According to police, the accidental shooting took place around 10:15 p.m. Tuesday. Officers were called to Henry Ford Warren Hospital on a report of a child with a gunshot wound. The boy is in serious but stable condition, expected to be OK.
Investigators say the child was transported and accompanied by his mother, a 24-year-old Warren resident.
Police conducted a search warrant at the apartment and found the unsecured firearm and other evidence that is consistent with the accidental discharge.
This is the same apartment complex where an 8-year-old boy shot himself in the head in April of 2024.
“Even one of these is a tragedy, let alone when these are repeated," Warren Police Lt. John Gajewski said. “When we see this, we all shake our heads because as parents, as community members, we know there are resources available free, that can prevent this from happening.”
In the 2024 case, the father of the boy, Theo Nichols, was charged with the then-newly implemented safe storage laws.
Macomb County Prosecutor Peter Lucido says despite the laws being in place since 2023, he’s still seeing parents not locking up their firearms.
“We’d like to revisit that law with an oversight committee to see number one, is it doing what it’s supposed to do, but is it doing it effectively or do we need to tweak it and make it even different," Lucido said.
Meanwhile, residents at the complex who have now had to deal with two of these incidents in less than two years are rightfully concerned.
“We're staying in a building with strangers and we don’t know what’s going on in the other apartments. People could be playing with guns, stray bullets could come through, anything," resident Candace McCrainey said.
Warren police are continuing their investigation as to who the gun owner is and how the child was able to access it, reminding everyone that safe storage saves lives.
“We have gun locks available. We’re not going to check you for warrants, we’re not going to check your criminal history. If you come in for a gun lock, we’re gonna ask you, 'how many would you like,'" Gajewski said.
