– unsecured firearm
– tragic shooting incident.
Accident – Death – Obituary News :
FLINT, MI – Three individuals are facing charges for violating Michigan’s safe gun storage law following a tragic incident that resulted in the death of a 2-year-old boy.
The young boy, Cortez Legend Guy, tragically passed away after sustaining a gunshot wound to the head. The incident occurred when he gained access to an unsecured .40-caliber handgun.
Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton expressed the seriousness of the situation during a news conference, stating, “We’re not kidding around here. If you do this, you’re getting charged. This is a terrible tragedy. A little two-year-old guy. He’s gone.”
Detectives from the Flint Major Crimes Unit, which includes members of the Michigan State Police and Flint police, responded to the scene on East Philadelphia Boulevard following reports of the shooting.
Upon arrival, officers discovered Cortez with a gunshot wound to the head. The child’s father, who was present at the time of the incident, initially claimed that the boy had shot himself with an airsoft gun. However, further investigation revealed the presence of the .40-caliber handgun in an upstairs bedroom.
The firearm was registered to a 31-year-old Flint man, and it was found on a bed along with blood and what appeared to be brain matter.
Cortez was rushed to Hurley Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
The investigation uncovered that the father and two of his cousins had been present at the residence earlier in the evening. One of the cousins, the registered owner of the gun, and the other, a 25-year-old Flint Township man, were also implicated in the incident.
A search warrant revealed a strong smell of marijuana throughout the house, indicating that the three men had been smoking marijuana. Leyton emphasized the dangers of mixing marijuana and firearms, stating, “Marijuana and firearms are a lethal cocktail. They don’t mix, and anybody sitting around smoking marijuana should not also be in possession of a firearm. That alone is a crime.”
The cousins reportedly left the residence around 1 a.m., leaving the gun behind. When the father heard the gunshot, he found his son with the weapon.
In addition to the firearm, authorities discovered a bag of marijuana in the bedroom, along with a magazine containing 15 live rounds. One spent cartridge casing was found in the magazine well, and a single bullet hole was observed in the ceiling above the bed.
Leyton confirmed that charges will be filed against the father and the two cousins for violating the safe storage law, which went into effect in February. This marks the second instance since the law’s implementation that charges have been brought in Genesee County.
Related: Flint man is first person charged under Michigan’s new gun safety law
The father will also face charges of involuntary manslaughter, both of which carry a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison.
For legal reasons, the names of the individuals involved have not been disclosed as they await formal arraignment.
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– charged after two-year-old boy fatally shoots himself
– three charged after toddler fatally shoots himself.
