'Heartbreaking': 4-year-old Florida boy dies after shooting himself with gun found in car
A 4-year-old Florida boy has died after accidentally shooting himself in the head with his family's gun, police said.
Chosen Morris and his family were preparing for a night out on Friday, which included pizza, and then returning home to play board games, Davenport police said in a news release on Monday.
Everything seemed fine until Chosen's mother heard a "pop" sound while she was on her computer in the master bedroom, she told police.
Under the assumption that the children had broken something, the mother confronted her 7- and 11-year-olds in the living room while they were playing video games while wearing headphones, police said. Once the mother realized Chosen was missing, she began looking for her youngest child and noticed the door leading to the garage was open, according to the department.
The mother then entered the garage and found Chosen in the driver's seat of the family vehicle with a gunshot wound to his head, police said. Chosen's parents rushed him to a hospital 2 miles away. Chosen was pronounced dead about almost 24 hours later on Saturday, police said.
'This is a tragic accident'
During the shooting, Chosen's father was in the bathroom preparing for the planned family outing that night, according to police.
Police believe Chosen, who was excited about the nighttime outing, got into the car to wait for the rest of his family members when he found the handgun under the driver's seat. Detectives recovered a Smith & Wesson M&P .40-caliber handgun from the vehicle, the department said.
"This is a tragic accident. As a father and grandfather, I can't imagine what (they) are going through right now. Our prayers are certainly with the ... family as they endure this heartbreaking tragedy," Davenport Chief of Police Steve Parker said in a statement.
No criminal charges have been filed in connection to Chosen's death, Parker told USA TODAY on Monday.
"As part of our protocol, we will consult with the State Attorney's Office, but my office has no intentions of filing charges based on the information we have," the chief of police said.
Safety tips for gun owners to protect children
At least 1,262 children died from unintentional gun injuries in the U.S. and Puerto Rico between 2003 and 2021, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The majority (85%) were killed inside a house or apartment and about 38% were self-inflicted, the agency said.
Guns involved in the unintentional deaths were most frequently being stored near nightstands, under mattresses or pillows, inside closets and inside vehicles, according to the CDC, which cited data analysis by the National Violent Death Reporting System.
To protect children, the California Department of Justice recommends that gun owners:
Always store their firearm unloaded.
Use a firearms safety device and store the firearm in a locked container.
Store the gun's ammunition separately in a locked container.
Do not store the firearm where it is visible.
Do not store the firearm on a bedside table, under a mattress or pillow, or on a closet shelf.
Do not store the firearm among other valuables (such as jewelry or cameras) unless it is locked in a secure container.
Consider storing firearms not possessed for self-defense safely and securely away from the home.
HealthyChildren.org also recommends parents talk to their children about guns, including reminding them that if they ever come across a firearm to stay away from it and tell a responsible adult immediately.
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