2-Year-Old Mich. Boy in Critical Condition After Shooting Himself Accidentally at Gas Station

Sunoco gas station, where the accidental shooting occurred.Photo:Click On Detroit | Local 4 | WDIV/Youtube

Click On Detroit | Local 4 | WDIV/Youtube

The toddler had been left alone in the car when he got a hold of the unsecured gun, Jordan Gulkis, a spokeswoman for the Lansing Police Department, tells PEOPLE.

Officers in Lansing were dispatched to the 3000 block of Dunkel Road shortly after 3 p.m. Tuesday.

Firefighters rushed the toddler, whose name has not been released because he is a minor, to a local hospital for treatment for the gunshot wound.

A 44-year-old male allegedly fled the scene but was later arrested in connection to the case, Gulkis says.

The man’s name has not been released because he has not been arraigned, Gulkis said. The Ingham County Sheriff’s Office, which assisted in the investigation, declined to confirm if the man was still detained as of Wednesday afternoon.

The gun had not been immediately recovered,WLNS 6reported, and police did not respond with an update to PEOPLE regarding the status of the firearm.

Undera new Michigan gun safety lawpassed earlier this year, gun owners must keep firearms “unloaded and locked with a locking device or stored in a locked box or container if it is reasonably known that a minor is or is likely to be present on the premises.”

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If minors publicly obtain an improperly stored gun in Michigan or brandish it toward another in “in a careless, reckless, or threatening manner,” then the gun owner can face 93 days behind bars and/ or a fine of $500 for the misdemeanor.

Both time in jail and fines attached increase with injury or death. A child discharging the weapon and injuring themselves or another ticks the punishment up to five years and/ or a fine of $5,000 for the felony, while more serious injury can be up to 10 years and/ or $7,500, and death up to 15 years and/ or $10,000.

For more information on safe firearm storage and the most effective ways to protect children from unsecured firearms, visitBeSMARTforkids.org.

source: people.com