Girl, 2, fatally shot after teen gained access to unsecured gun inside Brewerytown home: police
PHILADELPHIA - A toddler has died after police say she was shot by a teenage relative inside of a Philadelphia home.
It happened on the 1600 block of North 29th Street in the Brewerytown section of the city Thursday afternoon.
According to police, a total of eight people were inside the home at the time of the shooting – including children aged 14, 9, 2, and 1.
Philadelphia Police Sgt. Eric Gripp told reporters at the scene that it appeared as though the 14-year-old was able to access an unsecured gun inside the home.
MORE LOCAL HEADLINES
- Man charged in deadly ambush shooting of mother near crowded Philadelphia park, police say
- Video: Gunshots in deadly South Philly ambush shooting heard on home security camera
- Pipe bombs found in New Jersey man's car, home after traffic stop: police
While handling that weapon in an upstairs bedroom, at least one shot was fired. The 2-year-old girl was struck in the head by gunfire.
A neighbor told FOX 29 she witnessed a woman run outside carrying the child's lifeless body and screaming for help.
She was rushed to the hospital in a private vehicle, and was pronounced dead around 12:30 p.m.
"This is not right, that baby is supposed to be here playing, laughing, eating, having fun, living life," the neighbor said. "That baby should be here, not six feet under."
Gripp added that two officers were injured while responding to the scene when they were involved in a crash with a civilian and their vehicle. The officers and civilian are all listed in stable condition.
The Philadelphia Sheriff's Office has a gun lock program to encourage gun owners to safely store their firearms.