4-year-old boy accidentally shoots himself in head inside Oakland home
OAKLAND, Calif. (KTVU) - A 4-year-old boy accidentally shot himself in the head in East Oakland on Wednesday.
A family friend told KTVU that the boy was visiting a home when he found a loaded gun underneath a bed and shot himself.
The incident occurred in the 2400 block of Ritchie Street at around 2:00 p.m. according to Oakland Police Public Information Officer Johnna Watson.
Oakland police, Oakland Fire Department, and paramedics responded to the scene and transported the boy to Children's Hospital Oakland where he has been upgraded from critical to stable condition.
Police detained two people, a man and a woman, and said the investigation is ongoing.
"Everybody was in the living room. The little boy went in the back of the room, crawled under his bed and they heard the gun go off," said Anthony Wilson, brother of Terrence Wilson, who was detained by police.
Anthony said the woman detained is believed to be the mother of the child.
When asked how the boy got a hold of the gun. Anthony said it was supposed to be locked up.
"Common sense says it's supposed to be locked up. Now the situation...I don't know why it wasn't locked up. I can't tell you why it wasn't locked up. I can tell you it was an accident."
Investigators say the 911 call came from a woman inside the house.
"Oakland Fire Department and paramedics were on scene providing first aid to the victim who was transported to the hosptial," said Ofcr. Felicia Aisthorpe with Oakland police.
Family friends describe the boy as a happy, playful kid. His name has not yet been confirmed to KTVU.
"He is a very hyper-active kid; just likes to move around and you gotta watch him. He's a Speedy Gonzales type of kid," said Patrice Wilson, a family friend. "I just pray for him and am really worried about him."
Police said Thursday morning that they have arrested the man and released the woman pending further investigation. The man's name was not immediately released.