Trending

Shreveport boy killed, girl injured while playing with gun, police say

SHREVEPORT, La. — A 3-year-old Louisiana boy was killed and a 3-year-old girl was seriously injured when a gun they were playing with discharged Friday, authorities said.

>> Read more trending news

According to the Shreveport Police Department, the boy was playing with the weapon when it discharged and struck him in the chest at about 5:30 p.m. CDT, KTBS-TV reported. The bullet also struck the girl in the arm, the television station reported.

The boy was identified as Michael Thomas Jr., according to the Caddo Parish Coroner’s Office.

Two adults were in the home at the time, KTAL-TV reported. There also was a baby in the home. The relationship between the children and adults is unclear, according to the Shreveport Times.

Both children were taken to an area hospital, where the boy was pronounced dead, according to KTBS. The girl was listed in serious but stable condition, the television station reported.

“We must as adults secure our weapons from children,” Sgt. Angie Willhite of the Shreveport Police Department said in a statement. “Especially small children. They’re inquisitive, they’re curious, they see things on TV. They want to pick things up that they don’t know about and they want to play with them. You keep up in high places. You keep them locked in boxes and in apparatus that children can’t manipulate.”

The child’s death is the 16th in Shreveport by a firearm this year, according to KTBS.