Our hearts are broken today as news is released of a toddler that accidentally murdered her sister.
The two girls were unattended because the parents were entertaining friends. They found a loaded pistol in the Houston apartment. This resulted in a 3-year-old accidentally shooting her 4-year-old sister.
The incident happened late on March 12. The girls needing to be looked after was a misunderstanding between the parents. According to The Daily Mail, The two girls were left unsupervised in a bedroom in the apartment as one parent thought the other was watching them, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said.
After the shot was fired, the parents rushed into the room. The gun was secured, and they called emergency services immediately. Unfortunately, the 4-year-old was pronounced dead when officials arrived.
This is another unfortunate incident of a child stumbling across a gun. However, this time the shot happened to be deadly. The Sheriff said that when a child loses their life, it impacts the entire community.
The Sheriff also stressed that accidents like this are preventable. According to The Daily Mail, he said, Youve got to be sure youre a responsible gun owner, securing your weapons in a safe place. Its got to be more than just telling young kids not to touch the weapons.
Right now, the investigation is ongoing. The District Attorneys office will decide if the parents face charges.
The Daily Mail points out that in 2023, there have been 58 accidental shootings by children. Out of those shootings, 22 of them were fatal. Last year, 156 accidental shootings were fatal.
Through this tragedy, we should all learn the importance of being responsible gun owners. Storing guns in a locked safe that curious children cannot access is essential. This should go alongside teaching children not to touch guns. When keeping guns, they shouldnt be loaded. If they are, they should always be locked away.
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