2-year-old dies after shooting himself in face; at least 4 other kids accidentally killed in Chicago this year

[4th]

2-year-old dies after shooting himself in face; at least 4 other kids accidentally killed in Chicago this year
https://cwbchicago.com/2025/09/2-year-old-dies-after-shooting-himself-in-face-at-least-4-other-kids-accidentally-shot-in-chicago-this-year.html

A 2-year-old boy has died after Chicago police say he accidentally shot himself in the face with a firearm on Monday afternoon. The tragedy marks at least the fifth time this year that a child in the city has either shot themselves or been unintentionally shot and killed by another child.

Monday’s shooting happened around 1 p.m. in the 300 block of East 87th Street in Chatham. Without providing many details, CPD said a 2-year-old boy who sustained an accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound to the face and later died. Police detained a “person of interest” at the scene.

In at least four other cases this year, prosecutors have charged adults whose firearms were allegedly used in the accidental, fatal shootings of children.

...

An accident, but an entirely avoidable accident.

[JustAnotherGen]

1. Last week

I posted this in regards to the Ding Dong Ditch murderer in Texas
https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=20608751

I need to look at the murderer's background. He appears to be a product of Poor Home Training. People who do these things usually are. 20 some odd guns in his home? That's an Arsenal. It was only a matter of time before his two year old put hands on one and killed him.

In this case you've posted - the 2 year old killed himself.

[Irish_Dem]

2. IT IS NOT AN ACCIDENT.

It is the result of irresponsible parents who are guilty of negligence homicide.

[Heidi]

4. "But haven't they suffered enough?"

Nope, not in my estimation.

[Irish_Dem]

5. They have broken the law. And caused the death of a child.

Jail time is necessary.

[3catwoman3]

7. Most definitely NOT an accident.

I spent 45 years as a peds NP. Few things are as infuriating as this kind of preventable death.

I always asked about access to weapons when I did well child visits, and further advised parents to ask the parents of their children's friends the same question so they might diminish the chance of getting a phone call nobody wants. Quite commonly, a parent's eyes would widen in shock at this suggestion, and they'd say, in horror, "Oh my God, I never thought about that!"

[Irish_Dem]

8. Same here.

I spent over 40 years as a mental health professional working with kids, adults, families.

With any hint of mood disorders or other pertinent diagnoses I always asked about guns.
Made sure no guns were present in the home during treatment with me.
I insisted on knowing where the guns in the home had been placed and followed up to verify.

During decades of being a therapist, I never had one suicide or homicide.
I ran a tight ship when it came to guns.

Yes parents and families are often in great denial.

[Scrivener7]

3. Charge the gun owner with murder.

[Walleye]

6. Never mind trigger locks. It seems they leave their guns laying around without even the safety catch on.

[4th]

9. Point of information

Trigger locks are strictly an anti-theft device.
Never put a trigger lock on a loaded gun.

[Walleye]

10. Yes, thanks, I don't know anything about them.

But don’t most guns at least have a safety?

[4th]

12. Of course. n/t

[Kaleva]

13. Only if a round is chambered

[WarGamer]

11. Will the parents be prosecuted?

[ProfessorGAC]

14. Seems Appropriate

Quick story:
My wife was an in-classrom social worker in schools with ED & BD kids.
One February, she asked me to take a day off and go on a field trip to Chicago's Museum of Science & Industry.
I had 3 boys I took around and one (10 years old) kept asking really smart questions.
At the end of the visit we get on the bus and the kids are oohjng & ahhing seeing the waves hit the breaker wall on the south shore.
I told them sometimes the spray comes up, freezes on the road and they have to close it until they can salt it.
This 10 yo says "Well, the water holds heat better than the land so there's more pressure so the wind always blows toward land."
I asked my wife what he's doing in special Ed. She says "He can't read.".
Kud did his math homework the last 60 seconds of every day & gets 100% on every test & assignment. But, can't read.
About a month later, she tells me that kid is in the hospital.
His parents thought it be fun, so they had him drinking shots of Jack Daniel's with them. A 10 year old!
DCFS arrested them & successfully prosecuted them.
This kid was wventualky ok, and they still got convicted.
These parents did even worse.

[WarGamer]

16. Thia country does a miserable job of spotting and supporting gifted students.

[Torchlight]

15. American will get frustrated, air a few grievances or corrections

and yet a variation of the same thing will happen tomorrow or the day after... a manufactured loop created by political orthodoxy.

[Crunchy Frog]

17. Not a tragedy, a crime. And whoever owned the gun shot him.

2 year olds don't have agency and I'm sick of people attributing it to them when adults fail to secure their firearms and get infants killed.