A Philadelphia 10-year-old has been arrested and charged for accidentally shooting his 12-year-old brother.
While his brother is recovering and the boy was released from police custody, the city’s district attorney is speaking out on parents’ responsibility to practice gun safety.
At a press conference on March 27, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner confirmed the child has been arrested but declined to go into detail. He did, however, mention that attention has been placed on the adult who owned the .40-caliber handgun that the 10-year-old used in the shooting.
“I would encourage parents not to get a gun because the truth is you’re in about five times as much danger if you put a gun in your home as if you don’t,” Krasner said, according to ABC 6.
“If everybody kept hand grenades around the house, you’d hear a lot of booms,” Krasner added. “Because that’s what happens.”
The 10-year-old was arrested and charged in juvenile court with illegal gun possession, simple assault, and aggravated assault.
Once it is determined whose gun was used, additional charges may be filed.
The shooting took place on March 26, around 11 a.m. in the Strawberry Mansion section of Philadelphia. It is not believed the younger brother tried to hurt his brother.
“I believe it was an accidental discharge. But he took the gun knowingly from there to here, and while inside the house it discharged. It’s still accidental, but his actions resulted in someone being shot,” Deputy Police Commissioner Frank Vanore said.
Investigators believe the boy took the firearm from one house and brought it to the home where the shooting occurred, according to the Inquirer.
“A 12-year-old Black male was found suffering a gunshot wound to the chest and arm. He was transported to Temple Hospital and placed in stable condition, thankfully,” Krasner said.
The gun was recovered by police from the scene of the crime.
Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said in a statement the incident was a tragedy.
“Tragedies such as these have an impact on everyone, from the immediate family to the community, and everyone in between siblings, parents, grandparents, friends, teachers, doctors, police officers, and neighbors. Our thoughts are with the survivors,” Outlaw explained.
The young boy was arrested and released on Sunday.
Philadelphia has had a spike in shootings by individuals under 18 years old.
The 12-year-old became one of 37 minors shot this year in the City of Brotherly Love. Of that number, five, unfortunately, have not recovered.
One of the first cases was of another 12-year-old accidentally shot by his 6-year-old cousin in the Logan section of the city.
Many residents reacted to the news video reporting the arrest of the boy for the shooting.
“Charging a 10 year old is asinine. If the kid had the gun, it was untended. It is the parents who should be locked away. This is BS,” Doug Thomson wrote.
“Putting a very young child in jail for an (accidental) shooting! Insane,” Turtle Antlers wrote.
