MORGAN COUNTY, Tenn. — A child in Morgan County shot himself with a handgun in his home last week, District Attorney General Russell Johnson said. Investigators believe the 8-year-old got his father's gun, which was loaded and in a holster on top of the refrigerator.
The child shot himself "one time in the upper chest area," Johnson said. The child fractured his shoulder, but Johnson said he's expected to be OK otherwise.
It's the second time in two weeks a child has been shot in their home in Johnson's district. On August 27, prosecutors said Breanna Runions shot and killed 4-year-old Evangeline Gunter.
Runions faces felony murder charges. Warrants show Runions removed the magazine from the gun before she shot and killed Gunter.
Gun safety instructor Tim Carroll said removing the magazine from a gun doesn't mean there's no bullet inside.
"If there's a round in the chamber, you can still press the trigger and send a round out of the muzzle," Carroll said. "We don't point the gun at anything we are not willing to put a bullet into."
In July of 2022, a child accidentally shot a parent in a car in Union County. In 2021, a 6-year-old in Knoxville accidentally shot and killed himself.
"The best option if you want to keep a gun secure in your home is some sort of gun safe," Carroll said. "If you have children at home, and you aren't able to keep your gun secure in some sort of gun safe, you should keep the gun unloaded and separate from the ammo."
Prosecutors have not charged the parents in the Morgan County case with a crime. District Attorney General Russell Johnson said it's up to a grand jury.
"We have no specific crime other than that child negligence prong that might cover that behavior," said legal analyst Don Bosch. "I think it's going to be difficult for a grand jury to return a true bill and find 12 people out of that pool that will vote that a crime did occur."
Before a person is charged with a crime in Tennessee, a grand jury has to decide there's probable cause they committed a crime.