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A two-year-old boy is hospitalized after accidentally shooting himself in the leg with a firearm that he reportedly retrieved from his mother's bag while they were in a parked vehicle at an apartment complex in Miami Gardens, local authorities confirmed.
The incident occurred around 1:38 AM this Wednesday, in the 2200 block of Northwest 210th Street, just north of the Hard Rock Stadium and behind the Calder Casino, in a residential neighborhood in the northwest of Miami-Dade County.
According to the spokesperson for the Miami Gardens Police, Diana Delgado, the minor "was in the back seat of a vehicle, grabbed his mother's bag, took out the firearm, and accidentally shot himself in the leg."
The official explained that the child was not secured in any type of child seat, which would have made it easier for him to access the weapon.
The weapon was apparently unsecured and within reach of the minor, inside their mother's bag.
After the shot, a woman began to scream desperately for help, reported several neighbors who heard the blast and went out to see what was happening.
A white Nissan Altima parked in the complex became the focus of the investigation.
Police detectives found bloodstains on the rear of the car, particularly on the passenger seat and the exterior of the vehicle. The automobile was thoroughly examined by forensic experts.
The child was quickly attended to by paramedics from the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue (MDFR) and urgently transferred to Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital in the city of Hollywood, in a conscious but sedated state, according to witnesses.
The police confirmed that his/her injuries are not life-threatening.
The cameras of several local media outlets, such as Telemundo 51 and NBC, captured the moment when the ambulance arrived at the pediatric hospital escorted by patrol cars from the Miami Gardens Police.
Community testimonials
The incident has caused shock among the residents of the complex.
Some reported hearing a single gunshot followed by the desperate screams of a woman. Others recounted seeing paramedics attending to the child in the early hours of the morning.
"My heart was broken, I cried. And I woke up my mother... it's sad. I didn’t even want to say that part, because it's like, you just don’t want to see things like that," a neighbor told NBC Miami.
Another local resident, Natasha Edge, expressed feeling devastated: "I have three children, and reacting to an innocent child getting hurt says it all. There’s no reaction to explain. If a child gets hurt, we all suffer, we all bleed because of it."
Ongoing investigation
The police continue to investigate the case. For the moment, it has not been reported whether any adults will face charges for what happened.
The police spokesperson explained that the Florida Department of Children and Families had been notified and is already involved in the investigation.
Delgado took the opportunity to issue a warning: “To the parents who are watching us, if you have a firearm, it should not be within anyone's reach. It must be kept with the safety on.”
The incident has once again brought the safety of guns in homes with children to the forefront of the debate, especially when they are stored improperly and without the appropriate safety devices.
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