NEW ORLEANS — After two toddlers were wounded in separate shootings in New Orleans this week, city leaders stressed proper gun safety and safely securing firearms.
On Tuesday, a 2-year-old child shot himself while his brother was fueling his car at the gas station outside a New Orleans Costco store. The New Orleans Police Department said the child was in critical but stable condition after the bullet struck his leg.
A stolen gun was recovered at the scene, and the child's older brother 18-year-old Zyaire Cornelius was booked on charges of second-degree cruelty to a juvenile and illegal possession of a stolen firearm.
On Wednesday, another 2-year-old boy in a car was struck by gunfire in the 5900 block of Bullard Avevenue in New Orleans East. Witnesses say the child was waiting in a car with at least one other person while his mother was getting her nails done. A witness said she heard something that sounded like a car backfiring, and shortly after the mother ran outside from the nail salon.
The NOPD said the child was taken to the hospital, and he is expected to recover from his injuries. The boy's mother was ticketed for violating "responsibilities of owners of firearms with respect to minors."
This week's incidents follow three prior instances of children being victims of gun violence in New Orleans. In June, a 2-year-old toddler killed himself during a domestic issue in the city's Hollygrove neighborhood. In April, a 3-year-old girl was killed in the French Quarter after she found a gun belonging to her brother and accidentally discharged it. And in February, 2-year-old Denali Crawford was shot in crossfire while sitting on his mother's lap. Crawford survived the shooting.
On Thursday, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell issued a joint statement with NOPD Superintendent Shaun Ferguson stressing proper gun safety.
“Our method to reducing violence, especially gun violence, is a holistic approach to a complex issue that is grounded in addressing root causes and emphasizing the importance of personal responsibility. While gun violence is a complex issue, there is one known contributor to the problem – guns,” Cantrell said.
The mayor added: “...Even if you do not personally own a gun, it is also crucial that every member of this community encourage safe gun storage. Storing our guns securely keeps our families and our communities safe because whether or not it is your gun, it could be your child."
Cantrell said her administration plans to distribute gun locks throughout the city.
"When guns are not properly stored, there can be deadly consequences – whether it’s a child finding a firearm and injuring or killing themselves, or someone stealing it and using it to commit violence," Ferguson said. "Gun owners can make their families, homes and communities safer by storing their guns securely – unloaded, locked and separated from ammunition.”
Ferguson added: “As parents, guardians and mentors, we have to educate and protect our children. We can protect them by having conversations about guns and by instructing children to always assume a gun is loaded and never to touch a gun if they see it. Please help us keep our children and community safe by properly storing firearms and normalizing conversations about gun safety – our children and communities are counting on us to keep them safe.”
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