Minnesota: 4-Year-Old Kid Finds Gun in Van, Accidentally Shoots 2-Year-Old Sibling

By BERT HOOVER Oct 17 2023, 23:48 PM EDT

Minnesota: 4-Year-Old Boy Finds Gun in Van, Accidentally Shoots 2-Year-Old Brother — Authorities are probing an accidental shooting that injured a 2-year-old Minnesota kid. Brandon Bell/Getty Images

Sheriff's investigators in southern Minnesota are examining what they classify as an accidental shooting involving a 4-year-old child who reportedly found a firearm and shot their 2-year-old sibling, per KARE 11.

The Martin County Sheriff's Office received an emergency call from a vehicle on the 1300 block of 130th Ave before 10:30 AM on a Sunday.

The caller informed them they were en route to Fairmont for medical assistance. Deputies intercepted the vehicle, rendering lifesaving care for the injured two-year-old until paramedics arrived.

The child was subsequently airlifted to a hospital in Rochester.

Upon speaking with those involved, investigators discovered that a 4-year-old child in the vehicle's back seat had stumbled upon a loaded handgun and accidentally shot their 2-year-old sibling, who was also in the rear of the vehicle.

Martin County Chief Deputy Corey Klanderud confirmed that the individual in the vehicle with the children who called 911 was a parent, but he did not disclose whether the firearm belonged to that person. The child's current condition was not provided.

Klanderud revealed that investigators have presented their findings to the Martin County Attorney's Office for potential criminal charges.

2-Year-Old NC Boy Also Accidentally Shot by Brother in Church Parking Lot

Similar to the accidental shooting that critically injured a 2-year-old Minnesota kid, a two-year-old North Carolina boy is in stable condition following an accidental shooting at River Valley Baptist Church in Morganton, Burke County.

Deputies received the call about a gunshot wound just before 8:30 PM on a Sunday, KTTC noted.

The victim, a two-year-old child, had sustained a gunshot wound to the head and was airlifted to CMC Main in Charlotte, where he underwent surgery and was reported to be in critical condition.

The pastor of the church disclosed that the firearm involved belonged to him, and it was his son who was accidentally shot.

Fortunately, the bullet did not penetrate the child's brain. Church members have been offering continuous prayers since the incident.

Accidental Shooting Can be Avoided

It is essential to recognize that such accidental shootings that happened in Minnesota and North Carolina can be prevented.

Investigative details about the location of the firearm in the vehicle, how the child accessed it, and the type of weapon involved will be sorted out in due course.

Nonetheless, measures such as using trigger locks or storing guns unloaded can prevent tragic accidents, according to Winston-Salem Journal.

Research published in Injury Epidemiology reveals that over 90 percent of accidental shooting deaths involving children under 15 occurred with unlocked and loaded firearms.

Most of these incidents took place in the victims' homes, with the guns often belonging to adults in the family.

Notably, 40 percent of these unintentional deaths involved children between the ages of 2 and 4.

The study relied on data from the National Violent Death Reporting System maintained by the Centers for Disease Control, which tracks information from various sources to analyze the circumstances of violent deaths, including accidental firearm-related deaths involving children under 15 between 2009 and 2018, which numbered 279 cases.