Two parents are facing child abuse charges after their 4-year-old child discovered a gun and fatally shot himself in the head in the back seat of a car in Manitou Springs, Colorado on Tuesday.
The child was with his mother and younger sibling in a vehicle while his father went to purchase something on Manitou Avenue around noon when the young boy found a gun, according to El Paso County Sheriff’s Office.
He appeared to have shot himself in the head and was pronounced dead at the scene, the sheriff’s office said.
His parents, Ashlynne Perez, 25, and Carlos Perez, 26, were placed under arrest on a charge of criminally negligent child abuse resulting in death.
“This is a tragic investigation that not only affects the family of the victim, but it affects our community and our first responders,” the sheriff’s office wrote. “We want to remind the community to be sure to talk to your children about guns, even if you do not own guns. If you own guns, gun safety must be taught to all those that are near the gun, the gun must be stored unloaded and locked up. All keys to the locks should be hidden.”
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