Cash Irby II is shown in this photo released by his family. Merrillville Police say the boy took a gun from his parents' bedroom when the gun went off, striking him in the head
Local news reports
A 4-year-old Merrillville boy died Saturday
morning after accidentally shooting himself with a gun he found in his home, officials said Saturday.
morning after accidentally shooting himself with a gun he found in his home, officials said Saturday.
Cash Irby Jr. was pronounced dead at 8:47 a.m. at the Methodist Hospitals Southlake Campus in Merrillville, a Lake County coroner's office report said.
The cause of death was listed as an accidental gunshot wound to the head.
of death was listed as an accidental gunshot wound to the head.
Merrillville Police Cmdr. Jeff Rice said Irby took a gun from his parents' bedrooom and went to his room, where the gun discharged.
to his room, where the gun discharged.
The child suffered a single gunshot wound to the head, Rice said.
Officers responded and found the child unresponsive. He was transported to the Methodist Hospitals Southlake Campus where he was later pronounced dead.
pronounced dead.
Kelly White-Gibson, Irby's second cousin, said she was on her way to a fundraising walk in Crown Point on Saturday morning when she received a phone call from her aunt.
White-Gibson said the child climbed shelves in a closet to get the gun, which was stored in the back of a top shelf. The family kept the handgun for protection, she said.
"White-Gibson said the child climbed shelves in a closet to get the gun, which was stored in the back of a top shelf. The family kept the handgun for protection, she said."
ReplyDeleteAnother tragic demonstrating that hiding and heights are not an effective method of safe storage. You can get a very good pistol vault that will enable you to store a loaded firearm for about fifty bucks. Too easy.
So, we agree on that, but what about the proper response to a gun-owning parent who lets this happen? Also, what about mandating safe storage by law? Surely that would prevent some of these tragedies with minimal expense and inconvenience to the gun owners.
Delete