18-Month-Old Child Fatally Shoots 5-Year-Old Cousin While Playing With Gun Inside Home

An 18-month-old boy accidentally shot and killed his 5-year-old cousin while playing with a handgun. The incident took place Wednesday in Detroit.

"It's a sad day in the city today," 10th Precinct Detroit Police Department Commander Tiffany Stewart said during a news conference, Detroit News reported. "We lost another child in the city of Detroit due to a lack of firearm safety. This was completely avoidable."

Police received a call Wednesday morning that said a child was shot by a toddler in a home in Sturtevant Street on Detroit's west side. The officers entered the home and found the 5-year-old boy – who was not identified – with a gunshot wound to his neck. The child was rushed to a nearby hospital but he was declared dead there.

Police searched the scene and found a gun, a Glock, that was used to shoot the boy.

"It was reported that an 18-month-old got a hold of a gun in the home that was accessible... grabbed it... started playing with and accidentally shot the 5-year-old," Stewart said. "We detained the father for additional questioning regards to the circumstances... to make a determination as to whether or not this is what occurred."

"I'm not sure the 18-month-old is not even aware of what occurred," Stewart added. "This is why we emphasize gun safety with gun locks and gun boxes so we don't have circumstances like this. It has been far too many of these kinds of circumstances in the city of Detroit."

Police launched an investigation to determine whether the gun was "laying around" in the home. Authorities also said that the victim's father, the boys' grandmother and a 1-year-old girl were present in the home when the shooting incident took place. Officials urged anyone with information about the incident to call Detroit Police Department's Homicide Unit at 313-596-2260.

In a similar incident earlier this month, a 4-year-old child accidentally shot a 1-year-old girl with an assault rifle in Mississippi. The victim was rushed to LeBonheur Children's Hospital in Memphis with a gunshot wound to her right hand. Police told local media that the victim's 4-year-old cousin was playing with the rifle when it accidentally went off and hit her right hand. The victim's mother said the assault rifle belongs to her sister's friend.