A 5-year-old girl in D.C. is in critical condition after her 3-year-old brother somehow gained access to a gun, it went off and hit her in the chest, police say.
The shooting was confined entirely to the interior of the building on Galveston Street Southwest.
Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith says the man who was in the apartment watching the children at the time of the shooting was arrested. He's set to be charged with cruelty to children, Smith said.
“What we know at this time is the female victim was injured when a younger child accessed a firearm that was unsecured in the apartment,” Smith said. ”Officers arrested an adult male who was inside the apartment and was tasked with providing support or care for the children at the time the incident occurred."
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A woman identified by police as an older sister of the little girl who was shot was also taken into custody. She faces charges for allegedly assaulting a special police officer who provides security at the apartment building.
Smith says the tragedy is a reminder of the vital importance of gun safety.
“We cannot talk about gun safety enough,” she said. “And you know, again, when we have firearms and our homes, there's an expectation that we are to keep our firearms locked up and especially away from our young children.”
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Police say their investigation continues.
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