GREENWOOD — A 13-year-old boy was critically hurt after being shot in Johnson County over the weekend.
“I think it’s important that we share the dangers, concerns and the realistic and unfortunate things that can happen if we don’t inform our kids about safety precautions that need to happen with guns,” Chad Smothers said.
Greenwood Police Department officers responded to the 1100 block of Crescent Drive on reports of an attempted suicide at 1 a.m. Sunday.
Upon arrival, officers located a 13-year-old male suffering from a gunshot injury. He was transported to Riley Hospital where he is currently in critical condition.
“If we don’t exercise our responsibilities as parents that have kids that are old enough to handle things like this then we are doing them a great disservice,” Smothers said.
According to police, at the time of the shooting, five other juveniles who were known to the victim were present. All six juveniles were playing with a gun.
At one point, one of the juveniles, identified as another 13-year-old, pointed the gun at the victim and shot him, police say. The five juveniles fled the scene and 20 minutes later, the suspect called 911 and reported there was an attempted suicide at the home.
“The fact of the matter is that if a child has made it to see me in the emergency department, we have already lost the discussion about the importance of gun safety,” Dr. Matt Landman, the Trauma Medical Director at Riley Hospital for Children, told WRTV.
Experts are sounding the alarm about the importance of gun safety in your homes.
“People can balance accessibility with security and that’s critically important,” Attorney Guy Relford, who specializes in Second Amendment rights, said.
The suspect has been arrested on a preliminary charge of attempted murder. He is currently being held at the Johnson County Juvenile Detention Facility.
