Detroit Free Press
Bendon, Mich. (AP) -- A 4-year-old boy, the son of a Traverse City Police officer, accidentally shot himself with his father’s pistol and died Thursday from the wound, authorities said.
The boy climbed up a 7-foot-tall armoire to reach the .32-caliber pistol and took it to his bedroom, said Sharon Hoverter, the dispatcher who answered the call at 9:14 p.m. Wednesday.
The boy’s 8-year-old sister heard a noise and went to the boy’s room and found her injured brother, Hoverter said. The boy’s parents were in the basement and didn’t hear the shot.
Hoverter said the gun was a service pistol, but may have been a backup and not the officer’s primary weapon. She said the incident is under investigation, but is being considered an accident.
Benzie County authorities did not release the names of the victim or his parents. Traverse City Police confirmed that the father was one of their officers, but didn’t release his name.