Arrest made after 9-year-old boy shoots himself in the hand at Madison Heights home

MADISON HEIGHTS (WWJ) — One person is in custody after a 9-year-old Madison Heights boy shot himself in the hand with an unsecured gun Friday afternoon.

Madison Heights police were called to Corewell Health/Royal Oak Beaumont Hospital around 1:20 p.m. on Aug. 23 regarding a 9-year-old shooting victim who had been brought in.

Preliminary investigations found the boy accidentally shot himself in the left hand with an unsecured gun handgun he found at a home on Palmer Street, near 12 Mile and John R, police officials said.

It was not immediately clear how the boy got ahold of the gun.

The boy was said to be in stable condition.

Authorities did not immediately release any information about the person who was arrested, including whether they are related to the boy.

Officials did not say if the boy lives in the home where the shooting happened.

Madison Heights police are still investigating the shooting and will submit their findings to the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office.

Police are asking anyone who knows something about the shooting to call Detective Lieutenant Koehler at 248-837-2732 or the Madison Heights Police Department at 248-585-2100.

While authorities are awaiting a charging decision from the prosecutor's office, the arrestee could be found to have violated Michigan's new safe storage law. Earlier this month a Northern Michigan man was convicted for violating the law after his grandson got ahold of an unsecured shotgun and shot his cousin to death.

The safe storage law, which took effect in February, requires all firearms in homes where children are present to be securely stored, such as with a gun lock or in a safe. The requirement also applies if children are visiting the home.

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