HOMESTEAD, FL – A 12-year-old boy is currently in stable condition in the hospital after accidentally self-inflicting a gunshot wound to his head in a gated community in Homestead. The incident occurred Sunday at The Shores community off SE 13th Street.
According to Homestead police, the minor managed to acquire a firearm, which resulted in the tragic accident. The boy was promptly airlifted to HCA Florida Kendall Hospital.
The circumstances leading up to the shooting, as well as the firearm’s owner, remain under investigation. A neighbor and fellow parent, Ruchi Anthony, expressed her profound shock at the incident that unfolded next door. She underscored the importance of firearm safety and voiced her concerns about the potential exposure of children to firearms.
This incident is the second accidental shooting involving a minor in the area in the last two months. Police reported a similar incident in January where a teenage boy died from a gunshot wound to the head after a group of children in Miami Gardens had found and started playing with a firearm.
Experts in gun safety advise that firearms should always be locked away with the ammunition kept separately. They suggest parents make sure to inquire about the presence and storage of firearms in households their children may visit.