Editor's note (Jan. 7, 2024, 8:42 p.m.): Philadelphia police initially gave the wrong gender for the child shot. It was a boy who they say shot himself.
A 5-year-old's mother rushed a boy to a Philadelphia children's hospital after the boy shot himself with an unattended gun in a Kensington neighborhood home Sunday.
Philadelphia police responded to St. Christopher's Hospital for Children around 5:15 p.m. after a 911 call was made that a mother had brought in her 5-year-old with two gunshot wounds to his right leg, police said.
The child was listed in stable condition, police said.
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Police went to the 3500 block of Joyce Street in the search for clues since that is where they said the shooting happened.
Later on Sunday night, Philadelphia Police Sgt. Eric Gripp said that the investigation uncovered that "the child accidentally shot himself ... with an unattended gun inside of his residence."
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The investigation was ongoing.
So far in 2024, only one other child has been shot in Philadelphia, according to data compiled by the City Controller's Office that was last updated Thursday. Last year, children made up about 10% of the city's more than 1,650 shootings.
There are additional resources for people or communities that have endured gun violence in Philadelphia. Further information can be found here.
