2-year-old shot in Detroit, Michigan, home with unsecured handgun, police say

Police in Detroit, Michigan, said a 2-year-old boy was critically wounded by a gunshot on November 3 after officers responded to a 911 call at a home near Evergreen Rd. and I-96 at around 8 a.m. Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison said the boy was taken to a local hospital in critical condition. Another report described him as hospitalized and did not give his condition.

Bettison said the child’s mother was cooking breakfast when she heard a pop and then found her child shot. He said the registered handgun had been left unsecured in the home. One report said the child had shot the 2-year-old, but Bettison told reporters the exact circumstances of the shooting remain unclear. Another child in the home, a 4-year-old sibling, was not hurt.

The owner of the home said he rents it to family friends and that the 2-year-old is doing well considering the circumstances. The report did not say whether the owner was present at the time of the shooting.

Bettison told parents that securing firearms is their responsibility and that those who do not will be held accountable. He cited Michigan’s safe storage law, Public Act 17 of 2023 (MCL 28.429), which requires owners to keep unattended weapons unloaded and locked when a minor under 18 is or is likely to be present. A child’s safety in the home depends on adults guarding what is dangerous, a duty the law and the chief’s warning both describe (Proverbs 31:8-9).

According to the reports, the mother is not in custody, and police are continuing to investigate. The report did not say whether any charges have been filed against her or any other adult.

Free gun locks are available to city residents at all Detroit Police Department precincts with no questions asked, and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services provides an interactive Gun Lock Distribution Map showing more than 150 distribution locations. Bettison plans to host community forums with neighborhood police officers and DPD teaching gun safety.