NORFOLK, Va. — A 3-year-old boy in Norfolk was recovering Tuesday after police say he was injured by a gun Monday.
As of Tuesday afternoon, not a lot was known about the incident on Jefferson Court, but the case highlights the importance of gun safety.
Steven McGary is a firearms instructor for OnPoint Solutions and Training in Virginia Beach.
He said firearms safety starts with education.
“You have to first properly learn about your firearm, learn how to use your firearm and then pass that knowledge on to your children," McGary emphasized.
Monday night, police responded to a home on Jefferson Court after a 3-year-old boy was brought to CHKD for treatment of what was initially thought to be a gunshot wound.
Tuesday afternoon, police said the boy actually only received a cut on his face from a gun "as the gun was being discharged" and announced 21-year-old Daylon Jackson had been arrested and charged with child cruelty.
News
Man arrested in connection to shooting that injured 3-year-old boy
Police also said, however, Jackson was not believed to have fired the gun but had not said why he was being charged.
News 3 also asked if Jackson is related to the boy and if any further charges were pending but a spokesperson for the police department said detectives had not released any further information at the time.
“Everyone should always follow these four fundamental firearm rules," said McGary. "Treat every weapon with the respect that you would do with a loaded gun, so there is no such thing as an unloaded gun. Keep your finger off the trigger until you're ready to shoot. Keep your weapon pointed in a safe direction at all times, and our number one rule is know what's beyond your target."
He also encourages safe firearm storage, including using cable or trigger locks, storing a gun in a safe, lock box or secret case, and storing guns and ammo separately if they cannot be stored securely.
According to the Virginia Department of Health, "Firearm injuries are a public health problem that can affect anyone, regardless of their sex, age, race, ethnicity, or place of residence."
The VDH monitors firearms injuries in Virginia using emergency department visit, inpatient hospitalization, and death data.
As of August 2023, emergency department visit data reported by VDH showed there had been 1,743 firearms injury emergency department visits in Virginia.
This story has been updated to correct that the emergency department visit data is only as of August 2023 and not current as originally reported.
