PONTIAC, MI (WXYZ) — A 3-year-old boy is dead after a shooting at a Pontiac apartment complex, according to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office.
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Deputies were called to the complex off University Drive near M-59 just after 5 p.m. Tuesday.
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3-year-old boy shot and killed at Pontiac apartment complex, Oakland County sheriff says
It is unclear how the child was shot. Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said preliminary information suggests a weapon was accessible to someone who should not have had access to it.
“Preliminary information has us believing that there was a weapon obviously and clearly accessible to someone who shouldn’t have touched it,” Bouchard said.
According to investigators, the boy’s grandmother and mother were home at the time of the shooting, along with three other children — a 7-year-old, an 8-year-old, and an 8-month-old.
Detectives believe the gun belongs to the boy’s father, who was not home at the time of the shooting.
Bouchard called the death completely unnecessary and said someone will be held accountable.
“Someone will be held accountable for this completely unnecessary tragedy,” Bouchard said.
“My God, use your common sense. Keep this weapon out of the hands out of this child or whoever touched this weapon that now has left this gift from God dead,” Bouchard said.
Bouchard stressed the importance of securing firearms in the home.
“It’s a no brainer, we have given out free gun locks at the sheriff’s office for over a decade,” Bouchard said.
7 News Detroit asked Bouchard about the whereabouts of the other children who were inside the home during the shooting. He said detectives are working to ensure a responsible adult is available to look after the kids.
The shooting is still under investigation.