The Louisville Metro Police Department reports that a 3-year-old child accidentally shot himself on the morning of Sunday, Dec. 3. The child’s injuries were not life-threatening.
The child’s father placed the injured, but conscious, child in his car and headed northeast towards the Norton Children’s Hospital, about 10 miles away.
Police are investigating how the child got hold of a gun.
This is the second such tragedy in just under three weeks in Louisville.
On the night of Monday, Nov. 13, another three-year-old child was seriously injured when he somehow found a gun at a car lot in the 2000 block of South Hurstbourne Lane and shot himself in the head.
It appears that the firearm was in the car and unsecured, though exactly how the child got the gun is unclear.
The child was in the car with a sibling and his mother when the incident occurred.
The wounded child was reported to have been alert and trying to open his eyes after the shooting.
The child was rushed to Norton Children’s Hospital for immediate surgery and listed in serious condition.
Police have ruled the incident an accidental shooting. LMPD Sgt. Scott Beatty told WLKY that the tragedy points to the importance of firearm safety.
“We always want to stress safety. Just always be mindful if you do have firearms and small children please be smart about it. Make sure they’re stored safely, unloaded, and the safety is on,” he said.
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