How to safely store guns Charges filed after 2-year-old dies in accidental shooting
The 2-year-old who died in an accidental shooting Sunday was shot by his 4-year-old brother after their father left them unsupervised in a bedroom where he kept a gun, according to charges filed Wednesday.
Giovanni R. Smith, 26, of Milwaukee, faces a felony count of neglecting a child resulting in death in connection with the incident.
His son, Cartier J. Smith, was shot in the chest in a home along the 1300 block of South 9th Street, in the Walker’s Point neighborhood, around 1:30 p.m. Sunday.
He is at least the second child to die in an accidental shooting in Milwaukee this year, coming almost three months after Cire J. Walker, 3, got hold of a gun left on the kitchen table he was seated at and shot himself.
Nationally in 2020, there were at least 369 accidental shootings by children, causing 142 deaths and 242 injuries, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. From March to December 2020, unintended shooting deaths by kids rose more than 30% compared to the same period in 2019.
Giovanni Smith was watching the two kids while their mother was at work Sunday, according to the criminal complaint. The mother denied knowing Giovanni Smith kept a gun in the house, but the 4-year-old told police he had seen the gun resting on top of a speaker in Smith’s room before.
It was that room where the two children were left to watch cartoons while Smith talked on the phone in another room with the door closed, according to the criminal complaint. Smith said he heard a pop and found Cartier Smith with a gunshot wound and the 4-yearold holding a gun and crying.
Giovanni Smith’s mother told police she gave him the gun six weeks ago after she took in a foster child and wanted the gun kept away, the complaint said.
Giovanni Smith initially told police he keeps the gun underneath his mattress with the safety on. But after the 4year-old said he found the gun sitting on top of a speaker next to the bed, Giovanni Smith told police he could have left it there instead.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, roughly a third of U.S. homes with children have guns, and even young toddlers are capable of finding unlocked guns and are strong enough to pull the trigger.
In homes with guns, the likelihood of an accidental death by a gun is four times higher. The most effective way to prevent unintentional shootings is the absence of guns in homes.
But for those that do have them, the academy recommends guns be locked away and ammunition locked and stored separately. Children and teens should not be able to unlock the boxes that store firearms and guns that are loaded and unlocked should not be stored in a car or anywhere else on your property.
The academy recommends guns be unloaded any time they are set down. Gun owners should also use gun locks, which are free and readily available at multiple locations in Milwaukee.
How to get a free gun lock
The Milwaukee Police Department provides gun locks for free at district locations, although it is recommended that members of the public call in advance.
Police have also released videos on how to use gun locks for English and Spanish speakers.
The Milwaukee Fire Department also provides free gun locks, with no questions asked, at its firehouse locations.
The City of Milwaukee, in partnership with the nonprofit WestCare Wisconsin, offers free gun locks at the WestCare office, 335 W. Wright St., and all three city Health Department clinics located at 3200 N. 36th St., 7630 W. Mill Road and 1639 S. 23rd St.