A 3-year-old who unintentionally shot herself with her father’s gun has died, police said
Kayden Barnes, 3, found a gun on a dresser inside of her home on the 500 block of East Chelten Avenue, and unintentionally shot herself, authorities said.
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A 3-year-old girl who unintentionally shot herself with her father’s unsecured gun over the weekend has died, police said.
The child, Kayden Barnes, found the weapon on a dresser inside of her home on the 500 block of East Chelten Avenue, and fired it once, striking herself in the right eye, said Deputy Police Commissioner Frank Vanore. Kayden’s father found her, and rushed her in a private car to Einstein Medical Center, before she was airlifted to St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children.
Doctors worked to save the child, but her injuries were severe. Kayden died shortly after 2:30 a.m. Monday, Vanore said.
The gun was registered to the girl’s father, who had a license to carry, said a law enforcement source with knowledge of the shooting.
Vanore declined to discuss the particulars of the weapon. He said no one has been charged in the shooting, but investigators are reviewing evidence with the District Attorney’s Office.
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Experts have said that unintentional shootings of children are preventable as long as gun owners keep their weapons stored safely and securely inside their homes.
Children are naturally curious and can easily find weapons hidden in places adults think may be secret. Research has shown that children as young as 2 are strong enough to pull the trigger, and that most know where a parent stores their weapons.
Just last month, a 4-year-old girl in Northwest Philadelphia found a gun inside of a second-floor bedroom and shot herself in the abdomen. She was hospitalized in stable condition.
And last summer, 2-year-old Diora Porter Brown was shot and killed after police said the girl’s 14-year-old cousin with an intellectual disability found his grandmother’s gun inside an upstairs closet, then fired it, striking Diora in the head. The grandmother, Twanda Harmon, pleaded guilty last month to involuntary manslaughter and endangering the welfare of children, and is scheduled to be sentenced in May.
Pennsylvania has no law that requires a gun owner to store a weapon in a certain way. The Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and Temple University Hospital all provide free gun locks to anyone in need, no questions asked.