Since late May, Dayton police have responded to three shootings. According to investigators, the people involved were playing with loaded guns.
Dayton Police Maj. Brian Johns said accidental shootings are preventable.
"You should never point any firearm at another person and pull the trigger,," Johns said, regardless of whether the person believes the gun to be loaded or unloaded.
One incident involved two adult men who were drinking together in at home. After taking turns dry-firing a rifle at each other, they told investigators they heard a noise outside of the house. One of the men loaded the gun and then went outside to investigate the noise. According to police, the men were intoxicated and forgot the gun was now loaded when one man shot his friend. The victim survived. The shooter is facing a charge of discharging a weapon while intoxicated.
Another incident involved two brothers. They found their mother’s loaded gun at home. The 11-year-old shot his 12-year-old brother in the head. The boy survived. Their mother is facing child neglect charges.
The third shooting involved two 18-year-old friends. They were smoking marijuana and playing with hand-guns while celebrating their pending high school graduation. One of the guns was loaded and one of the teens was fatally shot in their parents’ basement. The surviving teen is charged with reckless homicide.
John urges people who own weapons to be responsible.
"If you're intoxicated or smoking marijuana, put the guns away," Johns said. "If you have kids in the home, put the gun away in a safe place where they cannot get them."
The Dayton Police and the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office offer gun-safety training, as well as gun locks so owners can properly store their weapons. Many other police departments around the Miami Valley also offer free gun locks.
For help locating a lock, visit Project Child Safe to find the site nearest you that provides locks for free.
"If you need gun locks, please get a hold of me here at the Dayton Police Department," Johns said. "We have some gun locks available for free to give to you. Montgomery County also has gun locks that we can give out and get to you in your hands for safe keeping of your firearms."
