Michigan 2-year-old dies in accidental shooting at home

A Michigan toddler was killed Sunday in an accidental shooting, police said. 

According to police in Howell, Michigan, the 2-year-old gained access to an unsecured firearm and was accidentally shot at around 6 p.m. on Sunday, CBS News Detroit reported. 

The toddler was taken to a local hospital and later pronounced dead, police said. 

The Howell Police Department and the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office are investigating the incident.

The shooting comes just days after a 6-year-old boy shot his baby brother twice in Detroit after getting access to an unattended gun. 

The 1-year-old, who is expected to survive, was shot through his cheek and left shoulder while sitting in a baby bouncer, Assistant Chief of Detroit Police Charles Fitzgerald said. 

In April, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed a bill calling for safe storage requirements for guns. The law was passed as more than 110 gun incidents involving children have been recorded in Michigan since 2015.

But since Whitmer signed the storage bill there have still been several instances of children accessing unsecured guns in the state. 

In May, a 2-year-old boy accidentally shot and killed himself, CBS Detroit reported. The boy found the gun, which belonged to his mother’s boyfriend, on the couch. The boyfriend was charged with involuntary manslaughter.

According to the nonprofit Everytown for Gun Safety, firearms are the leading cause of death for children under age 18 in the United States, with unintentional shootings making up 5% of annual gun deaths among children 17 and younger. 

From the start of 2015 to the end of 2022, there were at least 2,802 unintentional shootings by children 17 or younger that resulted in 1,083 deaths and 1,815 injuries, according to Everytown. 

Aliza Chasan contributed reporting.