A tragic incident rocked a small town south of Salt Lake City when a 5-year-old boy accidentally shot himself with a gun he found in his parents' bedroom. The harrowing incident shocked people.
DailyMail posted a video of the incident. “A Utah family is devastated after their five-year-old son shot himself. Brooks Thomas Wilson was found Thursday afternoon with a 9mm handgun and a gunshot wound to the head, police said,” the newspaper wrote.
“The boy's parents and possibly one of his siblings were in the house when the shooting occurred, but were not in the room with him. The father went into the room as soon as he heard the gunshot and began CPR, but the boy died at the scene. Authorities do not suspect foul play and no charges are being filed against the parents at this time,” they added.
The post went viral and caused people to share various comments.
This is how Instagram users reacted to the post:
“Sorry but parents should be held accountable or responsible for their negligence. Your child should absolutely not have access to firearms,” posted one Instagram user. “If you have a gun in your home, make it inaccessible to children. Poor baby. How sad,” added another.
“The parents are super irresponsible. They are totally at fault. Poor boy,” commented a third. “America has a lot to answer for. The parents should definitely be held accountable,” commented a fourth. A fifth person wrote, “I blame the parents for their negligence in owning a gun that was within reach of a young child… Mom and Dad need to be thoroughly interrogated!”
A statement from the family:
“We are losing a valued member who will be greatly missed. But through our faith in Jesus Christ, we will get through this trial because we feel His love so deeply,” the family released a statement after the incident, People reported.
“We would like to express our deepest gratitude to those who helped and to the community for their overwhelming support and compassion,” the family continued, adding, “This heartbreaking incident has taught us difficult lessons and we deeply regret that it has turned out this way.”
“Our hearts are broken and we hope that our family's loss serves as a poignant reminder of how quickly life can change,” the family said, saying it was an “unimaginable tragedy.”
The incident also sparked a debate about gun laws in the United States. While most believe parents should be held responsible, others added that such situations could be reduced by limiting individuals' access to firearms.
