CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A 3-year-old has died after a shooting in east Charlotte unfolded Wednesday.
Medic said it responded to Eastway Drive near Central Avenue around 5:30 p.m. The patient they located was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department later affirmed Medic's statement with an alert shared on its app, saying the incident was an assault with a deadly weapon. The department later confirmed the toddler died at the hospital and promised further updates.
During an on-scene news briefing, CMPD said the toddler, a boy, likely shot himself after getting access to a handgun. He was at home with a parent. The department also urged parents to keep firearms properly stored.
“Bullets don’t discriminate," CMPD Lieutenant Kevin Pietrus said. "They don’t know if it’s a young person or an old person that they’re aimed at. They don’t know if it’s a man or a woman and they don’t know if it was intentionally fired or not intentionally fired. It is against the law for a gun owner to store a gun in a way that gives a minor access to it."
Officials with CMPD said gun owners should always be aware of where their gun is stored, how it's stored, and the condition it's stored.
Gun owners can also head to the CMPD Headquarters or any CMPD Divisional Office and get a free gun lock and key.
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