PLANTATION, Fla. — A 5-year-old Florida boy was in serious condition after he accidentally shot himself in the stomach on Friday night, authorities said.
The shooting was reported at about 6:30 p.m. EDT in the Fort Lauderdale suburb of Plantation, Lt. Aston Bright, a spokesperson for the Plantation Fire Department, told the Sun-Sentinel.
The boy was found “awake and alert” but with a gunshot wound to his abdomen with a 9 mm gun, Bright said.
5-year-old boy hospitalized after accidentally shooting himself in Plantation, officials say https://t.co/lSTTwzdpTQ pic.twitter.com/xdEgBdod5w
— South Florida Sun Sentinel (@SunSentinel) July 23, 2022
Plantation police and Fire Rescue units responded to an apartment complex home, WSVN-TV reported. Investigators said the boy managed to get hold of a gun inside the unit, according to the television station.
Police said the victim’s mother found the boy and called 911.
A witness who identified herself as Leticia said she heard a noise that she didn’t associate with gunfire.
“I just heard a loud pop, but it sounded like a firework, didn’t sound like a gunshot,” she told the television station.
The boy was being treated at an area hospital and was in stable but serious condition, the Sun-Sentinel reported.
The case remains under investigation, police said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in 2020 that gun violence, including accidents, suicides and homicides, was the leading cause of death for children age 1 and older for the first time, the Sun-Sentinel reported.
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