Grandma charged after 8-year-old finds gun, shoots younger brother, Michigan cops say

A 68-year-old grandmother has been arrested after her 8-year-old grandson got a hold of a handgun and shot a younger sibling, according to Michigan authorities.

The shooting happened Feb. 17 at a Detroit residence, where officers responded to reports of a shooting. When officers arrived, they found the grandmother applying pressure to the chest of a 5-year-old boy who was shot and lying on the kitchen floor, according to the Wayne County prosecutor.

The 5-year-old was taken to a local hospital for treatment, officials say. At the time of the shooting, Detroit Police Chief James White said in a news briefing streamed by WDIV that the child was in stable condition.

White said the gun was unsecured under a bed when a child picked it up. The 5-year-old was shot in the right shoulder, the prosecutor said.

“We can’t tiptoe around this. There’s no nice words to put on this. People have to be responsible with these guns,” White said during the news conference. “They have to care. They have to care about these babies.”

The police chief said after the shooting the gun owner would be held responsible.

The gun owner in this case Itterlee McNeil, the 68-year-old grandmother, has been charged with two counts of second-degree child abuse, according to the prosecutor.

McNeil was arraigned Feb. 28 and received a $10,000 personal bond. She is due back in court March 10.

“Yet another child in our city that has been shot by irresponsible gun ownership and irresponsible actions by an adult,” White said in the news conference.

This story was originally published March 2, 2022 at 2:39 PM with the headline "Grandma charged after 8-year-old finds gun, shoots younger brother, Michigan cops say."