Doctor explains how to prevent accidental shootings involving children
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – Metro police have confirmed 25-year-old Elonshe Williams was shot and killed Sunday in a North Nashville apartment, possibly by a child.
Police are looking into whether a 3-year-old may have fired a weapon belonging to Williams. The incident follows a separate shooting in Cheatham County that happened Monday, April 29 where investigators said a 3-year-old was shot in the head and later died. Investigators believed both shootings were accidental.
Woman dead following accidental shooting in Nashville , Metro police say
Kelsey Gastineau, associate professor of pediatrics at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, said these incidents paint a bigger picture of what’s happening in Tennessee.
“We saw the highest number of unintentional shootings by children since the data has been collected, so we know that this is something that’s happening over and over and over again,” Gastineau said.
According to Everytown for Gun Safety, Tennessee saw at least 24 unintentional shootings by children in 2023, leading to six deaths and 18 injuries. Gastineau called the problem a public health crisis.
“We had the third highest number of those shootings by children. We know that seven out of 10 times, those tragedies are occurring in the home,” she said.
Now pediatricians at Monroe Carell are working to fight the problem from the front lines, talking to parents about safe storage and encouraging them to ask about firearms wherever their children may be.
“Having firearms locked, unloaded, and separate from ammunition can help prevent all of these injuries,” Gastineau said.
⏩ Read today’s top stories on wkrn.com
Since January, Gastineau said the Department of Safety and Homeland Security has passed out 70,000 free gun locks. Parents can also easily access resources to help secure weapons through their pediatrician or local law enforcement agency.
“Kids as young as three years old can in fact pull the trigger. Sometimes that means that they might be pulling it on themselves, but they also may be pulling it on someone else, and so it’s upon us as the adults to really understand how we can help keep them safe,” Gastineau said.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2.
