Police ask gun owners to secure weapons after 10-year-old boy fatally shot in Minneapolis
Police ask gun owners to secure weapons after 10-year-old boy killed in Minneapolis
Police are asking gun owners to safely secure their weapons after a 10-year-old boy was fatally shot by a young family member inside an apartment building in downtown Minneapolis Friday night. The two were left alone inside the apartment and had access to the gun, according to authorities.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Police are asking gun owners to safely secure their weapons after a 10-year-old boy was fatally shot inside an apartment building in downtown Minneapolis Friday night.
According to the Minneapolis Police Department, officers responded to a shooting around 11:35 p.m. inside an apartment building located on the 300 block of Hennepin Avenue. When they arrived, officers located a boy who had been shot.
Early investigations indicate that the boy and a "juvenile family member" were alone in the apartment when the shooting occurred. Minneapolis Police Public Information Officer Garrett Parten said the case highlighted the need for gun owners to secure their firearms, especially in households where children are present.
"We have juveniles alone in a residence with access to a gun. That is always a bad recipe. I cannot think of a single instance in life where that should be true," Parten said at a press conference Saturday afternoon.
Parten also said incidents involving the death of a child leave a lasting impact on everyone involved, from first responders to the doctors who treat the victims, to people hearing the news.
"Most of all, it impacts this family. And I don't think there are words that we have that can express the depths of anguish and grief that they are facing today," he added.
Minneapolis Police give update on fatal shooting of 10-year-old boy
Public Information Officer Garrett Parten for the Minneapolis Police Department briefed media Saturday afternoon on the fatal shooting of a 10-year-old boy. It happened while the boy and a juvenile family member were in an apartment alone Friday night.
The 10-year-old boy was immediately treated at the scene and transported to the hospital, where police say he later died. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office will release his identity and cause/nature of death after an autopsy is conducted.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said Saturday morning that he is in touch with MPD about the investigation. He called for gun safety and gun control laws to "prominently" be addressed in community safety conversations.
"The news of this morning is a tragedy," Frey wrote on Twitter. "My heart goes out to the family and friends grieving the loss of their young loved one."
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.