Family was in living room as 4-year-old wandered off. ‘Then we heard the gun go off’

Family and friends chatted Wednesday afternoon in the living room of an Oakland, California, home as a 4-year-old boy went exploring, The East Bay Times reported.

“The little boy went into the back of the (house), crawled under his bed, and then we heard the gun go off,” said Anthony Wilson, the homeowner’s brother, KPIX reported. The accidental shooting took place about 2 p.m.

The boy, who witnesses say shot himself in the head while playing with the gun, remains in critical condition at a San Francisco-area hospital, KGO reported. Two people in the home have been detained as an investigation continues, police said.

Jamilia Land, the boy’s great-aunt, said doctors have told the family that his survival depends on whether swelling in his brain decreases in the next few days, KNTV reported.

“He’s a baby. We keep losing babies,” Land said, according to the station. 

“For something like this to just tragically happen, something has to be done,” said neighbor Lashawn Washington, according to the station. “This is not making any sense right here.”

Wilson said he can’t explain how the boy, whom he said was visiting the home with a friend of his brother, found the gun, The East Bay Times reported.

“It’s supposed to be locked up, everyone knows that,” he said, according to the publication. “Now, the situation, I don’t know why it wasn’t locked up.”

Family friend Patrice Wilson described the boy as “a happy, playful kid,” KTVU reported.

“He is a very hyperactive kid; just likes to move around and you gotta watch him. He’s a Speedy Gonzales type of kid,” she said, according to the station. “I just pray for him and am really worried about him.”

This story was originally published March 28, 2019 at 8:35 AM with the headline "Family was in living room as 4-year-old wandered off. ‘Then we heard the gun go off’."