4 Year Old Finds And Shoots A Loaded Weapon In Albany

Local authorities are outraged after a four-year-old child finds a loaded weapon in the street and accidentally discharges it.

According to WGRB,  On Thursday afternoon on Elk St. an innocent four-year-old child saw what they thought was a toy gun lying in the street and picked it up.  Apparently, a loaded gun was left underneath a car, when the car drove off the gun was exposed for all to see.  The 4-year old child approached the gun, picked it up, and accidentally discharged one shot.  The child was startled and ran into the arms of his mother after shooting the gun one time.

Get our free mobile app

The Albany Police Department released the image of the colorful handgun.  The gun looks like it could have been a toy, so it’s understandable that the child was attracted to the gun and mistook it for a toy.

Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan is outraged by the incident.  She said, “This is a reminder to our community that there are guns out there and we need to continue to work to find out where they are and hold individuals accountable or use guns in our community.  No one, especially a four-year-old, should be exposed to this traumatic situation.“

Albany Police Chief Eric Hawkins is also outraged by the incident.  He said, “This incident could have ended much differently and is a reminder of the dangers posed when these types of weapons are on our streets.“

Thankfully no one was injured in this incident, but it could have ended badly for the child.  Not only was the innocent child in danger, everyone in the vicinity was at risk of being shot.  As a community, we must work harder to shield our children from all types of danger.  Keeping guns away from children should be a no-brainer.