07-05-2025
3-year-old critical after getting shot in Hanford. A man was arrested, police say
A 3-year-old girl is in critical condition after she was shot inside a home in Hanford, according to police.
Hanford police on Monday described the shooting as 'accidental' and said the gun was fired Saturday morning by one of four other children at the home. The ages of the other children range from 6 to 10 years.
A 29-year-old man tried fleeing the residence with the discharged handgun, police said. He has since been arrested on suspicion of multiple charges, including criminal storage of a firearm.
Under California laws, it is a crime to carelessly store a firearm on property if it's known or should be known that anyone younger than 18 years old is likely to gain access to it without parental permission.
With a child seriously injured in this case, the suspect, whose relation to the child was not immediately known, could face the harshest of three levels of punishment for criminal storage of a firearm.
That's a felony that could result in 16 months to three years in jail and a fine of up to $10,000. The Bee is not naming the suspect to protect the identity of the children.
Should the suspect face a lesser misdemeanor charge, he could get up to one year in jail and a fine up to $1,000.
That's for the reckless gun storage violation.
The shooting happened early Saturday at a home in the 1900 block of Emma Lee Lane, where officers found the 3-year-old girl shot in her abdomen.
Detectives also located the mother of the 3-year-old, as well as the four other children, along with a 20-year-old.
Investigators determined the children had gotten up early and found the gun unsecured in the kitchen. As the children were handling the firearm, one of them accidentally shot the 3-year-old, Hanford police said.
Police said the man who was arrested entered the room after the shooting occurred, grabbed the gun and fled the home.
Hanford Police Street Crimes Unit investigators tracked him down and arrested him Monday.
He was booked into Kings County Jail and faces additional charges of destruction of evidence, prohibited person in possession of a firearm and felony child endangerment.
Just last month in Northern California, a 3-year-old boy died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, and his grandfather was charged with felony first-degree criminal storage of a firearm.
Starting in January 2026, Senate Bill 53 goes into effect and requires a person who possesses a firearm in a residence to keep the firearm securely stored when the firearm is not being carried or readily controlled by the person or another lawful authorized user.
SB 53 also requires gun owners to properly store their firearms whether or not it's known a child could obtain access to the firearms and cause injury.
