Boy, 1, shot by young brother at Detroit home, police say

A 1-year-old boy was wounded Wednesday in a shooting involving another child at a home in Detroit, police said.

The incident was reported around 7:40 p.m. in the 600 block of Tennessee on the city’s east side, Assistant Chief Charles Fitzgerald told reporters.

The baby had been in a "bouncy" inside while his 6-year-old brother was nearby, Fitzgerald said. Their mother was visiting a relative down the street and the father was in the backyard with an uncle working on a fence, the assistant police chief added. Other children also were outside.

A preliminary investigation determined the older child grabbed an unregistered semiautomatic gun and shot "his sibling not once, but twice," Fitzgerald told reporters. "The 1-year-old was shot through the cheek and through his left shoulder. We are very, very fortunate that child is still with us."

The infant was initially taken to Corewell Health's Beaumont Hospital in Grosse Pointe then transferred to another facility. He was listed in stable condition, Fitzgerald said.

Meanwhile, the parents were questioned by police and are cooperating in the investigation. Authorities sought a search warrant to comb their house. The investigation findings are expected to be presented to the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office to determine whether any charges will be filed, Fitzgerald said.

He described the incident as "another senseless, preventable, horrible incident. ... We’re here far too often talking about securing your weapons. There are gun locks, there are gun safes ... the highest shelf you can find in your house."

The incident came more than two weeks after a 5-year-old was shot at a west Detroit home. Police Chief James White said the shooting was the 18th this year involving someone under 17.

Another 5-year-old was shot on Harned in early April.

The same month, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed new laws, slated to take effect next year, that expand background check requirements for firearm purchases and impose storage standards on guns kept in homes where children are present. The storage bills require individuals who have firearms at home where a minor is present to keep the guns in a locked box or have them unloaded and locked.