Michigan 6-Year-Old Boy Shoots 1-Year-Old Brother in Face With Semiautomatic Gun: Police

In what's become an all-too-common occurrence, a young boy accessed a gun in his home and shot his baby brother several times as the toddler was playing on a bouncy chair, according to authorities. 

The Michigan 6-year-old child grabbed a semiautomatic gun in his house and unloaded several shots at the toddler, striking him twice — one bullet in his cheek, the other in his shoulder, according to Detroit Assistant Police Chief Charles Fitzgerald, speaking at a press conference posted on the Detroit Police Facebook page. 

The baby fortunately survived. 

"Here we are again," Fitzgerald declared during Wednesday's conference. 

"We're here far too often talking about securing weapons," continued Fitzgerald. "There are gun laws; there are gun safes."

At the time of the incident, the children's mother was down the street, while their father was in the backyard, according to Fitzgerald. 

While the gun is legally registered, Fitzgerald added, the incident is under investigation, and the parents are cooperating. No charges have been filed in the incident, according to the assistant police chief. 

According to the New England Journal of Medicine, firearm-related injuries are the leading cause of death among children in the United States. 

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