A three-year-old boy has died after suffering an apparent gunshot wound at a home in Pontiac, Michigan, with investigators working to establish how he came into contact with the weapon.
Deputies from the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office were called to a property in the 100 block of Maynard Court at about 5pm on Tuesday, 15 September. The child was found dead inside the house, where officers also recovered a gun.
Sheriff Michael Bouchard said detectives, forensic specialists and crime-lab staff remained at the scene as the investigation continued.
“Our detectives are there and our forensic and our crime lab team is there because I will tell you this, someone will be held accountable for this completely unnecessary tragedy,” he said at a press conference.
Police have not said who fired the weapon or how it was obtained. The child’s identity and details of his family have not been released.
Investigators examine access to weapon
Bouchard said a mother, a grandmother and five children aged under eight were staying at the home, including an eight-month-old baby.
He said preliminary information suggested the weapon had been accessible to somebody who should not have been able to handle it, but stressed that detectives were still determining the circumstances of the shooting.
No arrests or charges have been announced. The investigation remains ongoing.
