A 4-year-old accidentally shot himself Sunday in a Georgia supermarket parking lot with an infant and a 13-year-old relative in the car.
The mother of the 4-year-old, who was identified as Miyell Hernandez, went into a Publix Supermarket and left the three children in the car, the Atlanta-Journal Constitution reported. (RELATED: 2-Year-Old Shoots Mother And 1-Year-Old Sibling In Car)
A 4-year-old child was shot and killed in the parking lot of a Publix grocery store in the Atlanta area. Police are calling the shooting unintentional. #gapol https://t.co/HOKnvbi90t
— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) February 28, 2022
The shooting occurred around 5 p.m. when the boy reportedly found a gun in the car. After the four-year-old accidentally shot himself, the 13-year-old then ran inside to get help, according to the Atlanta-Journal Constitution.
Neither the 13-year-old nor the infant were harmed during the shooting. The boy was taken to a hospital where he eventually succumbed to his injuries, according to the outlet.
“Our hearts and thoughts go out to the Hernandez family,” DeKalb Police Chief Mirtha Ramos said in an emailed statement, the outlet reported. “We’re imploring gun owners to always keep their guns safe and secure.”
April Griffin, who is the boy’s grandmother, claimed that her grandson’s mother does not own a gun and that the family does not know how the boy was able to get his hands on a gun in the first place, according to the Atlanta-Journal Constitution.
Multiple shootings involving children under the age of 18 have taken place in the Atlanta area. A teenager was charged with second-degree murder for the death of nine-year-old Kimoni Mack on the same day as the Miyell Hernandez shooting, according to Fox 5 Atlanta.
A 1-year-old girl was shot and killed by another child in her home Jan. 15, while Kelvice Roberson Jr, 15, was shot and killed at the Dunbar Neighborhood Center on the same day, according to the Atlanta-Journal Constitution.
The DeKalb Police Department (DPD) is hosting a safety fair on March 19 that will provide free gun locks along with other safety tips to promote gun safety.