Babysitter arrested after 5-year-old shot in the back in house with 7 children

A 5-year-old was shot in the back on the east side of Detroit, Michigan, after a gun accidentally fell to the ground, according to the Detroit News.

Police arrested a 27-year-old babysitter after arriving at a home where the babysitter, a woman, and six other children ages 3-16 were playing at the time the boy was shot. The incident happened around 9 p.m..

"We once again had another extremely irresponsible gun owner who came here with a young boy he was sitting with and came here to play with some friends. The story just keeps changing. It's ridiculous," said Assistant Chief Charles Fitzgerald of the Detroit Police.

"The first story was that the gun fell on the ground, the little boy was shot in the back. He scooped the young boy up, was on the way to the hospital and just down the street there was a medic unit from the city just finishing up a run. They were able to convey the child to Children's Hospital," Fitzgerald added.

The child is in stable condition, according to reports.

The man, who is allegedly a friend of the child's mother, has two guns registered to him but police were unable to locate either of his weapons.

"Sometimes, you just have to start thinking of others more so before thinking about yourself," Assistant Chief Fitzgerald continued.

"We are still looking for the weapon itself. We have a good understanding of what happened. It would be a lot easier if he just told the truth," the officer said.

A neighbor spoke to Fox 2 Detroit but was unable to provide any additional information about the shooting.

"It's very unfortunate. This is the first time that I've heard that happened; I didn't know what happened yesterday," said Peter, the child's neighbor.

"In general, we want to protect our children," he added.

In January 2023, also in Detroit, a 5-year-old boy shot himself in the hand with a gun that was left unattended. A 3-year-old, a 2-year-old, a newborn, and the boy's mother were all inside the home at the time.

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