3-year-old Detroit boy shoots himself in face after getting ahold of mom's gun after she got home from work

DETROIT (WWJ) — A Detroit toddler is in critical condition after getting ahold of his mother’s gun Friday afternoon and shooting himself in the face.

Detroit Police Chief James White, speaking outside of the family’s eastside home on St. Patrick — near Conner and Gratiot — said the incident happened around 4:20 p.m., shortly after the 3-year-old boy’s mother got home from work.

White said the woman walked in, put her gun on the dresser and within a couple minutes the young boy got ahold of the gun and shot himself in the face.

Officers arrived to the scene within four minutes of the shooting, according to White, and rushed the boy to a nearby hospital. White said the boy was in critical condition, but he suffered a graze wound and is expected to survive.

A total of eight people — including five children and three adults — were in the home at the time of the incident, White said. No other injuries were reported.

“Unfortunately, we’ve been here way too many times. If you’re gonna own a gun, you gotta do so responsibly,” White said, noting Detroit police have responded to many similar incidents in recent years.

White said police will “look at all aspects” surrounding the case, including whether the woman was licensed to own the gun and if it was registered.

There was a lockbox inside the home, White said, but it was not inside of it at the time of the shooting.

“If you’re going to have a gun, have responsibility and lock it up,” White said. “You've got to put your guns away. You can’t leave them out. You can’t leave them where kids are going to get them, and kids get hurt, and that’s exactly what happened here today.”

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