5-Year-Old Girl Accidentally Shot By Father At Their Washington Home

A 5-year-old girl was hospitalized after her father accidentally shot her in the arm while handling a gun at their home in Edmonds, Washington.

The 36-year-old man, whose identity was not revealed, removed the gun from its holster to secure the weapon in a safe when it accidentally discharged, striking the girl in the arm. The incident happened Friday afternoon. Paramedics rushed to the home and treated the girl at the scene before taking her to a nearby hospital.

Speaking to local newspaper Edmonds Beacon, Police Sgt. Josh McClure said the father was "manipulating a handgun when it discharged."

He added that the victim's mother and two other children were also present at the home when the incident took place.

Condemning the incident, Mayor Mike Nelson told the newspaper, "I am very saddened to hear of a 5-year-old girl shot by her father while he was unholstering his firearm at their Edmonds home. I do not accept that accidents just happen, nor that domestic violence homicides are not preventable. Gun violence and harm are preventable and pose a clear and present danger to every community."

Nelson said he is looking for stricter gun controls in order to prevent such incidents.

"This will include community-based gun safety programs, disarming domestic violence abusers with such tools as extreme risk protection orders, and lobbying our state Legislature to mandate gun-safety training, as well as to enact legislation that would give local governments the authority to put stronger laws into place that better protect our communities," he said.

An investigation into the incident is ongoing and officers have asked the Edmonds City prosecutor's office to charge the father with unlawful discharge of a firearm.

The girl was discharged from the hospital following treatment.

The incident comes less than two months after a 7-year-old boy was accidentally shot in the neck by his younger brother at their Washington home. Police arrived at the home and rushed him to the hospital for treatment. The boy was expected to make a full recovery. Investigation revealed the boy's younger sibling accidentally shot him after retrieving the firearm from a gun safe.