Another Philadelphia child dies in an accidental shooting
“We have the right to bear arms in our home, but we also have to be responsible,” Philadelphia Police Deputy Commissioner Robin Wimberly told reporters.
A young girl has died following an apparent accidental shooting in Philadelphia Thursday night.
Police responded to a call on the 5500 block of Whitby Avenue in the Kingsessing section of the city around 9:30 p.m. Thursday. Officials said a 10-year-old girl was found with a gunshot wound to the head. She later died at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, according to reports.
“We have the right to bear arms in our home, but we also have to be responsible,” Philadelphia Police Deputy Commissioner Robin Wimberly told reporters on the scene. “So I can’t really go further into it because I don’t have any other information. However, this is very, very tragic.”
The girl is the second child to be killed by an accidental shooting in Philadelphia in less than a week. Over the weekend, a 10-year-old boy died after a self-inflicted shooting in the Tioga-Nicetown section.
“Less than one week after meeting with family in the hospital of a 10-year-old child who died as the result of a self-inflicted gunshot, another 10-year-old has died in a similar fashion,” Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said in a statement. “These tragedies are completely preventable, and it is the responsibility of adults to keep guns out of the hands of our kids. Never leave guns unattended or easily accessible — we must do everything possible to ensure that our children are safe in their homes.”
More than 100 children under age 18 have been shot in the city so far this year, according to public data analyzed by the Center for Gun Violence Reporting in Philadelphia. At least 20 have died.