Boy, 4, Finds Loaded Gun in Car, Shoots Himself

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A preschooler shot himself in the side in a Troy grocery store parking lot Friday afternoon after finding a loaded 9 mm Smith-and-Wessen handgun in the console of his family’s Ford’s Mustang.

The child’s mother was loading groceries outside the Kroger store at Crooks and South Boulevard about 1:18 p.m. when the curious 4-year-old found the gun The bullet entered his body just above the waist and exited his thigh, according to media reports.

Troy police Capt. Rober Redmond told the Detroit Free Press the boy sustained a flesh wound and is recovering after surgery at a nearby hospital.

The mother of the child, reportedly from Rochester Hills, told police the gun belonged to her husband. Both she and her husband have concealed pistol licenses.

Which parent owned the gun is immaterial, Redmond told the Free Press.

“We talked to both of them – we’re not sure they’re living together – and there’s some disagreement about who left the weapon in the console. That doesn’t matter to me. She’s still responsible for the child’s safety,” Redmond said.

The child’s mother and three other children who were helping her with the groceries were not injured.

Troy police said they will present the case to the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office for review, along with a requet for some type of charge, possibly careless and reckless use of a firearm.

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