A pair of toddlers found a loaded handgun in a family home in Canton, Ohio, on Monday night prompting one of them to play with it and accidentally shooting his playmate in the face, killing him, the Canton Repository reports. Brandon D. Owens, Jr. was pronounced dead at a local hospital after medical crews could not save the boy, who would have turned two years old in December. His playmate will turn three shortly.
Brandon’s mother called 9-1-1 sobbing, saying “Oh, baby, no. My baby….” She told the dispatcher her baby had been shot. No one has yet been charged in the incident.
We remind everyone that unsecured firearms should not be kept where children have access to them,” Canton Chief of Police Jack Angelo said, calling the child’s death “a preventable tragedy,” adding, “Gun locks are available free of charge at most law enforcement agencies. The Canton Police department will provide a gun lock free of charge to anyone, regardless of what jurisdiction you live in.”