Boy, 12, killed when handgun accidentally fires on Mother's Day
HAMMOND, Ore. - A 12-year-old Hammond boy was killed on Mother's Day after a handgun he was playing with inside his home accidentally fired, authorities said.
The boy, a sixth-grader at Warrenton Grade School, was not identified by Warrenton police. Police Chief Mathew Workman said an adult was inside the home with the boy when the accident happened about 10 a.m.
Workman said the .22-caliber handgun belonged to his family, and that there were multiple guns in the home that the boy had access to. He did not specify how they were secured. He said the boy was a hunter and sportsman.
"The circumstances leading up to the gunshot wound, obviously we may never exactly know," said Workman. "But it doesn't look like it was a cleaning type incident or anything like that, but it was definitely determined to be accidental."
Hammond is located near Astoria on the Oregon coast.
Warrenton police reminded parents and guardians to secure their firearms in a locked cabinet or use a trigger-lock/locking mechanism with them. The department also recommends storing firearms and ammunition separately and securing the ammunition. The department provides free gun locks at the police station through a federal program called “Project ChildSafe.”
