This may be even sadder than adults accidentally killing their children. Two chidren have been left fatherless after a 4 year old boy
found a gun in the living room of friends he and his father were visiting. He inquisitively picked it up and accidentally shot his father who later died in the hospital. The boy has a newborn sibling who will never know his father.
Police say the boy somehow found a gun in the home's living room and accidentally fired it and a bullet hit his father, who was rushed to a hospital where he died. Police identified the man as Justin Stanfield Thomas.
Justin Stanfield Thomas was a Green Beret and a veteran of the Iraq War which he managed to survive. The visit to Thomas's former roommate was a surprise, so the gun had been left out in the open, laying around.
PRESCOTT VALLEY, Ariz. -
Prescott Valley Police say that an adult male was shot by his son Friday afternoon in an accidental shooting.
The victim has been identified as 35-year-old Justin Stanfield Thomas.
Officers responded to a Prescott Valley residence about 12:30 p.m. for a shots fired call. According to PVPD, Thomas' 4-year-old son accidentally shot him.
The child was taken to the police substation to undergo interviews. It didn't appear that he realized what he did.
"At this point there is no indication of any foul play," said Prescott Valley Police spokesperson Brandon Bonney. "But again once investigators go through the residence... and fully process it they'll look and see if there's any negligence involved... but it's something we won't know for some time now."
Investigators served the search warrant Friday night. More information will be released once all the evidence is collected from the scene and an autopsy can be performed. At this point, it all just seems like a terrible accident.
The boy doesn't even seem to know what has transpired. Yes, it's a terrible - preventable - accident. The police officer interviewed in the video gave a brief lesson on gun safety saying as soon as a child is present a gun should be secured. How about not leaving it around in the first place? Or at least leaving the safety on?