A 5-year-old girl is fighting for her life at a Washington, D.C. hospital after she was shot by a younger sibling Monday evening, according to the Metropolitan Police Department.
Chief Pamela Smith said officers responded to reports of a shooting at around 6:30 p.m. inside an apartment in the Unit block of Galveston Street Southwest.
At the scene, a 5-year-old girl was found with a gunshot wound in her upper body. She was taken to an area hospital in serious condition.
“The child, currently right now, is in critical condition,” Smith said Monday night in a news conference. “It’s such an unfortunate incident.”
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The little girl was shot by her younger brother who accessed an unsecured firearm inside the apartment, Smith said. He is believed to be around 3 years old.
“This incident really highlights the danger of unsecured firearms in homes and especially around children,” Smith said. “We want to emphasize the importance of firearm safety and we are asking everyone to keep our young female victim in your prayers at this time.”
A man, who police described as a longtime family friend, was arrested inside the apartment and charged with cruelty to children. The two children were left in his care while their mother ran errands.
Police did not know if the man is in a relationship with the mother, but said the apartment belonged to her.
A woman was also arrested at the scene for assaulting a special police officer who works at the apartment complex. Details surrounding that incident were not shared, but Smith said she is the sister of the girl who was shot.
When asked who owned the gun or if it was a ghost gun, Smith said officers do not know yet, adding that the investigation is in its preliminary stages.
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During the short news conference, Smith emphasized the importance of gun safety and said it cannot be talked about enough.
“When we have firearms in our homes, there is an expectation that we are to keep our firearms locked up, and especially away from our young children,” Smith said.
