Ames police investigating after 4-year-old child dies in shooting
An investigation is underway after a 4-year-old child was shot and killed in an Ames apartment.
Ames police say they were called shortly before 2:30 p.m. Monday for a report of an accidental shooting at an apartment in the 200 block of South Sherman Avenue. First responders arrived at the scene and the child was taken by air ambulance to a Des Moines hospital, but the child later died from their injuries.
Investigators say the child shot themselves with a handgun.
"The child was able to access a room where a firearm was at. The parents thought the gun was locked up but it wasn't," said Major Jason Tuttle with the Ames Police Department.
They say a parent and another young child were in the home when it happened.
Iowa code says firearms must be locked or secured so someone under 14 years old cannot reasonably gain access to it. Violations are punishable as a serious misdemeanor.
The investigation remains ongoing. Police have not identified anyone who is facing charges at this time.
In Story County, the Public Health Departments provides free gun locks to anyone who asks for one.
Police say in addition to that, gun owners should also store firearms separate from ammunition in a locked location.
"You need to make sure that they're not accessible by children. We need to do those type of things to protect people that shouldn't have access to them from getting them," Tuttle said.
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