“The initial indication is that this tragic incident unfolded as a result of juveniles gaining access to a firearm,” said Lt. Jason Hall of the Dayton Police Department during a Thursday afternoon media briefing.
The shooting was one month after the death of 13-year-old Inya Ford, who was caught by gunfire when a fight broke out during a Fourth of July weekend party at her Kipling Drive home in Dayton. The shooting also happened on the second anniversary of the city’s mass shooting in the historic Oregon District when an assailant gunned down nine people.
The child who shot the boy also was an 11-year-old boy and a family member of the child killed, the lieutenant said. He did not specify how the children were related, nor whether the second boy also lived in the home.
Alexander was not enrolled as a Dayton Public Schools student, a district spokeswoman said.
A woman who called 911 said she was across the street from where a boy said somebody was shot and was hollering for help.
The weapon involved in the shooting is a 40-caliber handgun, which detectives have recovered. The gun was inside the home, Hall said.
“One of the questions we desperately want to answer is how they came into possession of this weapon.” he said. “It is a huge concern when young people gain access to firearms and, obviously, we see the tragic result that can occur.”
No one has been detained and detectives will turn over the results of the investigation to the Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office for consideration of charges, Hall said.
Adults can be charged with child endangerment when children get access to guns or are placed in harm’s way in other instances.
Gun owners are urged to use caution when children are in a household where firearms are present., Hall said.
Following are gun safety tips:
- Store guns unloaded and in a locked location out of reach and sight of children.
- All handguns and firearms should have approved child-resistant gunlocks.
- Store ammunition in a separate, locked location not accessible to children.
- Keep keys and lock combinations hidden and never reveal them in front of children.
- Whenever a gun is not being stored, keep in on your person and in your immediate control.
- If you have armed visitors, give them a locked place to store firearms while in your home.
- Never leave guns on a nightstand, table or other place where small children can reach them.
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