Third Incident This: 2-Year-Old Accidentally Shoots Himself After Getting Hands on Babysitter’s Gun

For the third time this year, a Macomb County adult faces charges for violating safe storage of firearms laws after a child under their care found a gun and accidentally shot themselves. In the most recent incident, April Faith Green was arraigned Monday in 37th District Court for safe storage violations and other charges after a 2-year-old boy she was babysitting in Warren shot himself in the stomach.

Warren Police Commissioner Charles Rushton expressed his dismay, stating, “What is most upsetting here is that these are both preventable incidents.” Green, 42, was also charged with second-degree child abuse and two counts of felony firearm possession. Judge Steven Bieda set her bond at $75,000 cash or surety only, and she is currently held at the Macomb County Jail, told USA Today 

If Green posts bond, she is prohibited from possessing firearms and from having contact with children under 17. According to Warren police, officers responded to a home on the 11000 block of Edgemont Street around 6 p.m. Saturday after reports of an injured toddler. The boy and his 7-year-old sister, who do not live in Warren, were being babysat by Green. Police said Green was awake in her bed when the child found a pistol under her pillow.

The child, whose name has not been released, was taken to a local hospital and is in stable condition. A state law enacted earlier this year mandates that gun owners with minors in the home must store firearms in locked containers. Police said Green, a social worker, cooperated with investigators and that drug or alcohol use was not a factor in the incident.

This incident follows two similar cases in Macomb County this year:

• In June, Demetrius Owens, 27, was charged after his 2-year-old son shot himself in the hand in Eastpointe. Owens faces an August 15 circuit court arraignment before Macomb County Circuit Judge Joseph Toia.
• In April, Theo Nichols, 56, of Warren, was charged after his son found a gun and accidentally shot himself in the head.

During a press conference, Warren Mayor Lori Stone emphasized the importance of safe firearm storage, stating, “As adults, it is our responsibility to keep kids safe.” Police Lt. John Gajewski echoed this sentiment, expressing frustration over the recurring nature of such incidents.

The police department offers free gun locks with a “no questions asked” policy at the station and the mayor’s office at City Hall. Commissioner Rushton highlighted the importance of securing firearms, saying, “In my 27 years as a police officer, I have never been involved in a case where getting to your firearms 30 seconds earlier would have made a difference in the outcome of a case.

But I can tell you that I have probably seen maybe hundreds of accidental shootings because someone’s firearm hasn’t been secured.” If convicted, Green faces up to 10 years in prison for the safe storage violation and child abuse charges, along with a mandatory two years for the felony firearm charge.