Florida boy, 12, dies after accidentally shooting himself with loaded handgun found inside his friend’s home during ‘unsupervised sleepover’
- Police were called to a home in Lakeland on Friday to report that gunfire went off
- The victim’s mother said she had not been aware of both kids being home alone
- The surviving boy’s parents were both at work at the time of the tragic accident
- Their son had never mentioned inviting a guest over or even a sleepover to them
- So far, no charges have been made, as an investigation into the case continues
A boy in Florida has died after accidentally shooting himself with a loaded handgun while being at a friend’s house for a sleepover with no adult supervision.
The 12-year-old child, whose identity remains confidential, shot himself at a friend’s house in Lakeland – east of Tampa – on Friday after his mother had dropped him off there just a couple of hours earlier.
Local authorities said that no one else had been at the home other than the two boys at the time of the incident. The two minors found the loaded handgun inside a car that was parked in the garage.
As the 12-year-old grasped the firearm, he unintentionally fired a round and ended up fatally wounding himself, Lakeland Police said.
A 12-year-old, unsupervised boy accidentally shot himself at a friend’s home in Lakeland on Friday after he had been invited to come over for a sleep over
The child had been dropped out off by his mother, who didn’t know that her son and his friend would be home alone until after the incident. The minor found a loaded handgun inside a car parked inside the home’s garage. Pictured: The home’s driverway
Officers were called to the home at around 7p.m. before reporting the shooting. It remains unclear if both children were still home alone at the time.
The 12-year-old boy was still alive when police officers found him, as e was suffering from a single gunshot wound before emergency medical professionals came for assistance.
He was then rushed to Tampa General Hospital, where he eventually died from his wounds.
The boy’s mother told local police that she had thought an adult would have been supervising both kids, including her son, according to WFLA.
It was also said that neither of the surviving boy’s parents were aware that their son had invited someone over to their home. Both were at work at the time of the accident.
Parents of the surviving boy told police that they had not been aware of any sleepover and had been at work at the time of the incident. They further told cops that they had not given their son permission to have anybody at their home
As of Sunday afternoon, no charges have been filed and an investigation remains ongoing.
In 2021, at least 259 accidental shootings by children took place in the U.S. and 104 of them resulted in death while 168 others involved injuries, according to NPR.