LAKELAND, FLORIDA — A 12-year-old boy was shot and killed last month after discovering a handgun at the residence of a friend with whom he was going to have a sleepover, according to reports.
The child, who has not been named, was dropped off at his 13-year-old friend’s house on the evening in question in order to have a sleepover, according to WTVT.
Law enforcement was reportedly told that the two boys were in the garage and the victim found a handgun in one of the vehicles there.
As he was handling the firearm, he accidentally shot himself.
The boy was taken to a local hospital, where he died. At the hospital, the boy’s mom reportedly told police that she believed there was an adult present, supervising the kids, but there were no adults at the home.
The host child’s family was apparently completely unaware of the boy’s presence, because they’d not given any sort of permission for anyone to be at their house.
Be that as it may, this is an abundantly clear case where a gun owner failed to store a firearm securely.
If you own a firearm and have children present in your home, you must practice safe firearm storage. You never know what might happen.
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