I would like to find out you opinion about this article and who was at fault. What is your assesment of the root cause of this situation.
Published July 17, 2007 10:48 pm - A 3-year-old boy died Tuesday from wounds sustained following what appears to be an accidental shooting at a Valdosta residence, according to Cmdr. Brian Childress with the Valdosta Police Department.
3-year-old dies
Toddler discovers pistol, shoots self in neck
Kelli Hernandez
The Valdosta Daily Times
VALDOSTA —
A 3-year-old boy died Tuesday from wounds sustained following what appears to be an accidental shooting at a Valdosta residence, according to Cmdr. Brian Childress with the Valdosta Police Department.
The child, Steven Bustillos-Ramirez, accompanied his mother Eva Castillo, who runs a private cleaning service, to the 2117 Northwood Circle residence that morning, according to Childress
Authorities responded to the residence at approximately 9:55 a.m. and found the child dead in one of the bedrooms of the home. Initial reports and results of gunshot residue testing indicate that the child gained control of a loaded Taurus .45-caliber pistol, which was left on a night stand, and shot himself in the neck, according to Childress.
Castillo regularly took two other children, ages 7 and 10, to work with her, but had not taken the 3-year-old before Tuesday, according to Childress.
At the time of the incident only one of three college-age residents was home, but was asleep in a separate bedroom.
According to the Lowndes County Board of Assessors, the home is owned by Giuseppe Pistelli and his father, Massimo Pistelli.
Giuseppe Pistelli is reported to be the owner of the gun and stated that he used the gun to protect himself and his business. Additional weapons were found in the home, but were not loaded, according to Childress.
“We are not going to rule out filing criminal charges, but at this point that would be premature,†Childress said. “We hope that some small amount of good could come from Steven’s death if the public can become better educated on gun safety.â€
The police department has been providing gun safety locks free to the public for a number of years as part of Project ChildSafe, a program developed by the National Shooting Sports Foundation supported by a U.S. Department of Justice grant. The department will also conduct free courses on gun safety.
“We believe this tragedy could have been avoided with a device like this,†Childress said, referring to the gun safety lock.
To obtain a gun safety lock, visit the Valdosta Police Department at 500 N. Toombs St. or to request a gun safety course contact Officer Vernotis Williams at 229-293-3099.
Gun safety tips:
• Do not keep loaded weapons in the home.
• Keep weapons in areas that are not accessible to children.
Secure all weapons with safety locks.
• Talk to children to educate them about guns and gun safety.
This came from packing.org today.
:-k
Published July 17, 2007 10:48 pm - A 3-year-old boy died Tuesday from wounds sustained following what appears to be an accidental shooting at a Valdosta residence, according to Cmdr. Brian Childress with the Valdosta Police Department.
3-year-old dies
Toddler discovers pistol, shoots self in neck
Kelli Hernandez
The Valdosta Daily Times
VALDOSTA —
A 3-year-old boy died Tuesday from wounds sustained following what appears to be an accidental shooting at a Valdosta residence, according to Cmdr. Brian Childress with the Valdosta Police Department.
The child, Steven Bustillos-Ramirez, accompanied his mother Eva Castillo, who runs a private cleaning service, to the 2117 Northwood Circle residence that morning, according to Childress
Authorities responded to the residence at approximately 9:55 a.m. and found the child dead in one of the bedrooms of the home. Initial reports and results of gunshot residue testing indicate that the child gained control of a loaded Taurus .45-caliber pistol, which was left on a night stand, and shot himself in the neck, according to Childress.
Castillo regularly took two other children, ages 7 and 10, to work with her, but had not taken the 3-year-old before Tuesday, according to Childress.
At the time of the incident only one of three college-age residents was home, but was asleep in a separate bedroom.
According to the Lowndes County Board of Assessors, the home is owned by Giuseppe Pistelli and his father, Massimo Pistelli.
Giuseppe Pistelli is reported to be the owner of the gun and stated that he used the gun to protect himself and his business. Additional weapons were found in the home, but were not loaded, according to Childress.
“We are not going to rule out filing criminal charges, but at this point that would be premature,†Childress said. “We hope that some small amount of good could come from Steven’s death if the public can become better educated on gun safety.â€
The police department has been providing gun safety locks free to the public for a number of years as part of Project ChildSafe, a program developed by the National Shooting Sports Foundation supported by a U.S. Department of Justice grant. The department will also conduct free courses on gun safety.
“We believe this tragedy could have been avoided with a device like this,†Childress said, referring to the gun safety lock.
To obtain a gun safety lock, visit the Valdosta Police Department at 500 N. Toombs St. or to request a gun safety course contact Officer Vernotis Williams at 229-293-3099.
Gun safety tips:
• Do not keep loaded weapons in the home.
• Keep weapons in areas that are not accessible to children.
Secure all weapons with safety locks.
• Talk to children to educate them about guns and gun safety.
This came from packing.org today.
:-k
