DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. – A tragic incident occurred in DeKalb County as a three-year-old boy fatally shot himself in the face with an unsecured firearm on Saturday. The owner of the gun, Antoine Jordan, has been arrested and charged with Second Degree Murder and Cruelty to Children in the Second Degree. He is currently in the DeKalb County Jail.
The identity of the child and his relationship to Jordan has not been disclosed by officers at this time. This devastating event sheds light on the dangers of unsecured firearms, especially in households with children.
Gun violence has had a significant impact in Georgia, as highlighted by a recent CDC-released study that revealed a high percentage of unintentional firearm deaths among children and teens from 2003 to 2021. The study emphasized that most of these deaths involved unsecured guns, with 76% of unintentional firearm deaths among children and teenagers in the United States occurring due to a gun that was stored and unlocked.
Moreover, the study found that 91% of these unlocked firearms were loaded, indicating a grave lack of firearm safety measures in place. The data also revealed that 67% of the deaths occurred when the shooter was playing with the firearm or showing it to others, emphasizing the importance of responsible firearm handling and storage.
To prevent such tragic incidents, adults are encouraged to adhere to the “SMART” guidelines, which include securing guns in homes and vehicles at all times, modeling responsible behavior around guns, asking about the presence of guns before allowing a child to visit a home, recognizing guns’ roles in suicides, and informing others about being “SMART”.
This heartbreaking event serves as a stark reminder of the critical need for responsible firearm ownership and storage, especially in households with children. Gun safety education and advocacy for stricter firearm storage laws are essential in preventing similar tragedies from occurring in the future.