Man arrested for leaving behind gun with which 7-year-old fatally shot himself, police say

A Philadelphia man who police say left out a gun 7-year-old girl picked herself up and shot herself accidentally was charged with involuntary manslaughter and related crimes on sunday in juniata park.

Alan Nguyen, 24, was arrested Sunday evening after the child found a gun he had stashed in a dresser drawer at the child’s home, where he was staying as a guest, and accidentally shot himself in the face Sunday afternoon, Deputy Chief of Police said. the police. Frank Vanore.

Police responded to a report of a shooting at a home on the 3800 block of I Street around 2:27 p.m. When officers arrived, they found the child with a gunshot wound to the face, police said. She had been shot in the right eye, Vanore said

The girl, who was not identified by police, was taken to St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children and pronounced dead at 2:39 p.m., police said.

Investigators discovered that Nguyen was a friend of the child’s family and was staying at their home, Vanore said. Nguyen put his 9mm in a dresser drawer and the child later played in that room, where she found the gun and unintentionally shot herself, he said.

Nguyen legally owned the gun, Vanore said.

Experts have said The unintentional shooting of children can be prevented if gun owners keep their weapons safely in their homes. Research has shown that children as young as two years old are strong enough to pull the trigger, and that most know where a parent keeps their weapons.