NORTH MIAMI, FLA. (WSVN) - A 10-year-old boy has died following a self-inflicted gunshot wound at his home in what police are calling an accidental shooting.
The shooting occurred shortly after 8 p.m. Monday evening at 14050 Northwest Fifth Place in North Miami.
Audio recordings from a Miami-Dade 911 dispatcher relayed the message to the police, “Complainant advising that the gun fell from the closet, went off. The 10-year-old was shot accidentally. Patient is not breathing.”
Family members have identified the victim as Melvin Cockroft.
Despite being rushed to the Ryder Trauma Center, the child did not survive.
Authorities said the firearm involved was registered to the boy’s father, who was present at home during the unfortunate incident.
In an interview with 7News, North Miami Police Chief Cherise Gause could not definitively say if charges would be filed.
“I can’t say that right now, but we are in communication with the state attorney’s office,” she said.
This accidental shooting follows another similar incident involving a child just two days prior.
On Sunday, a 3-year-old girl discovered a loaded gun on the living room sofa, resulting in a gunshot wound to her hand.
“Of all the gun violence that we see, these are the most easy to prevent,” said Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle.
Rundle is reminding gun owners that Florida law requires gun owners to secure loaded guns so that children cannot access them.
“And those that are listening to this, just remember, if you’re going to have a gun, and the law says you can, of course, make the effort to keep it locked or stored or at least unloaded,” she said. “All three can save someone you really love in your home from a terrible outcome.”
Authorities have repeatedly emphasized the critical importance of keeping firearms out of reach of children.
“This is a tragic incident that we don’t want to see anybody in our community go through. This is an incident that can certainly be avoided if we practice safe storage of firearms, especially where children are involved,” said Gause.
There have been no charges in the 10-year-old’s death.
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