23 children have been treated for gunshot injuries at Fort Worth hospital this year
Twenty-three youths have been treated this year for gunshot wounds at Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth, the hospital said.
The most recent is a boy under 5 who was critically injured inside a Fort Worth apartment on Aug. 28.
Fort Worth police declined to say whether the boy shot himself or was shot by another person. The shooting, which occurred in the 6100 block of Sparrow Wood Lane, is under investigation by Crimes Against Children Unit detectives, a police spokesman said Friday.
Two of the gunshot injury patients at Cook Children’s this year died, a hospital spokeswoman said. In 2019, five children died there after they shot themselves or were shot by another person.
All but one of the gunshot injuries this year were unintended, the spokeswoman said.
“We’ve seen gun sales increase significantly nationwide over the past several months,” Dr. Dan Guzman, a Cook Children’s physician, said in a statement. “Now, with many children being in the home for longer periods of time, curiosity and boredom are something we need to expect. We have to stay vigilant and make sure we’re doing everything we can to prevent a tragic accident.”
In 2019, 41 children were admitted to Cook Children’s for gun injuries, the hospital said. The firearms included handguns, rifles, shotguns and pellet guns.
“I think most people think this won’t happen to us because we’ve taught our kids to never touch guns,” Guzman said. “But if you aren’t taking the proper precautions as the adult and parent, it’s probably only a matter of when, not if, your life may be affected by an unintentional discharge involving someone you know, and maybe even your child.”
Among the child victims of shootings in Fort Worth this year is a 5-year-old boy who found a gun inside a house in the 1400 block of East Allen Avenue and accidentally shot himself on June 10, police said.
The boy suffered a wound to his neck and was stable when he arrived at a hospital, police have said.
The boy was the third juvenile shooting victim in Fort Worth in the first full week in June. Also shot were a 12- and 16-year-old who were fired upon by an assailant inside a vehicle, police said.
On April 6, 1- and 8-year-old boys were shot inside a room at the Dalworth Inn in the 800 block of East Felix Street. Two other children between 10 and 15 were playing with a handgun when one of them fired it accidentally, police have said.
Guzman offered these safety tips:
- Talk with relatives, neighbors and friends. When your child visits other homes, ask the owners if there are guns in their homes and how they are stored.
- Have a conversation with your children about what to do if they see a gun: Do not touch it, and tell someone.
- Gun owners should properly store their firearms.
This story was originally published September 11, 2020 at 6:48 PM.
