4-Year-Old Finds Gun, Shoots Himself In Head Inside East Oakland Home
OAKLAND (CBS SF) -- A four-year-old boy was in critical condition Wednesday evening after apparently shooting himself in the head inside of a home in Oakland Tuesday.
Oakland Police spokeswoman Johnna Watson said the shooting happened on the 2400 block of Richie Street in East Oakland.
Fire department and paramedic first responders got the call just after 2 p.m. They provided treatment to the child at the scene and then took him to UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital, Watson said.
The boy survived surgery but was still unconscious. Doctors were watching him closely throughout the night on Wednesday.
Two adults who were inside the home have been detained, Oakland police said in a tweet.
Anthony Wilson, a witness at the scene who said he was the brother of the man living in the home, said that the shooting was accidental. Wilson said the child found the gun under a bed, played with the weapon and shot himself. "Everybody was in the living room. The little boy went into the back of the room, crawled under his bed, and then we heard the gun go off."
Wilson said the child was the son of his brother's female friend, who was visiting the home. Police did not go into detail about who was detained, but Wilson said his brother was one of the two adults being questioned.
The boy did not live at the house where the shooting happened. He was visiting the home Wednesday afternoon with his mother.
Oakland police could not say whether the shooting was accidental, and said it was still under investigation.
The boy underwent surgery at Children's Hospital in Oakland and was in a coma as of Wednesday night.
Family members said doctors were expected to monitor him overnight.
