A North Carolina father faces charges after his two-year-old son shot and killed himself with a gun found in the father’s truck.
The incident took place in Johnston County, a rural area southeast of the state capital of Raleigh. Police arrived at the scene, finding the boy with a gunshot wound, according to ABC11.
The child, Warren Bennett Oser, 2, was taken to a hospital in the area, where he was pronounced dead.
Investigators think that the boy climbed into the pickup truck through an open door and discovered the loaded firearm inside. When he started playing with the gun, he accidentally shot himself.
Father Warren Tyler Oser has been charged with failure to properly and safely store firearms to protect minors, per ABC11.
The Johnston County Sheriff’s Office told the local TV station that the child’s death was believed to be an “unfortunate accident”.
The family has been left in a state of shock, with a family member telling WRAL that “we’re having to raise money for a funeral we never expected, for a two-year-old”.
More than $20,000 has been raised from 273 donors via GoFundMe.
An online obituary stated: “We tragically lost our sweet boy, Bennett. Bennett was a free spirit with a wild soul who always kept us on our toes. He loved to run naked, play with dinosaurs, work with Daddy, snuggle with Mama and play outside.”
“Bennett was a happy child who loved everyone in his life deeply. Every single day, he would go down his list of favorite people to try and visit,” the obituary said. “Though his life was brief, his spirit and memory lives on in his family and friends. We are grateful and blessed that God chose us to be his parents and let us watch over him for even the short amount of time that he had on earth.”
According to WNCN, County District Attorney Susan Doyle said: “My heart goes out to the parents as they grieve the loss of their son. These tragedies are 100 per cent preventable by safely storing all weapons away from minor children as required by statute.”
Her office stated that the child died on 15 October from a single gunshot wound after finding his father’s Smith & Wesson 40 calibre handgun in the front seat of his truck.
Investigators said that the child “climbed into his dad’s pickup truck through an open door, and was playing with a loaded handgun that was inside the vehicle. The child was able to discharge the weapon, which resulted in injuries to himself,” according to WNCN.
“This is not about the rightful ownership of guns. This is about the responsibility of gun owners to protect minors by ensuring all weapons are kept safely away from children,” the county district attorney added.
Officers responded to the scene before 6pm on 15 October, with the Sheriff’s office saying that the wound was to the body of the child, who was located near the truck in the back of the rural property.
