Police surround a silver-gray Nissan Altima outside Lakeland Regional Health. The car is believed to be the one in which a 6-year-old boy found a gun and shot himself in the head.
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A 6-year-old boy is in critical condition at Lakeland Regional Health after apparently shooting himself in the head with a loaded firearm he found inside a parked car, Lakeland police said.
The shooting happened at 3:44 p.m. Sunday outside a home in the 200 block of West Crawford Street — just west of Florida Avenue and half a mile from the hospital.
Someone rushed the child to Lakeland Regional in a personal vehicle before police officers arrived at the scene, LPD spokeswoman Stephanie Kerr said.
Lakeland resident Lynn Garner said she was in the emergency room with her mother when a man raced in holding the boy. “The guy brought the kid in screaming saying ‘head injury,’” Garner said. But then, “the grown man handed him to another person in the hospital and literally left and ran. Left the car out in the parking lot and all.”
A yellow circle highlights the 200 block of W. Crawford Ave., where the shooting happened. A silver gray Nissan Altima with a shattered window was cordoned off with crime scene tape outside.
There was a heavy police presence outside the emergency room Sunday evening, and a silver gray Nissan Altima with a shattered window was cordoned off with crime scene tape.
Kerr said LPD detectives are investigating. The case remains open and active. The department will release more information soon.
Prayers for the child were pouring in on social media Monday, but many people were also dismayed that the gun wasn’t secured. There were at least 26 unintentional shootings by children in Florida last year, resulting in 11 deaths and 15 injuries, according to the nonprofit group Everytown.
Free gun locks: The League of Women Voters of Polk County has been distributing free gun locks at community events for more than a year. Anyone who would like one is also invited to pick one up at the Learning Resource Center at 1628 South Florida Ave.
Local gun ownership, by the numbers: Polk County has a higher rate of gun ownership than many other parts of the state. However, because Florida does not require gun registration for most firearms, it’s impossible to know exactly how many guns residents own. However:
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd supports the right to bear arms, but says gun owners need to be responsible. “It can’t be stressed enough, if you have firearms in your home, keep them away from children,” Judd said in 2021 after a 3-year-old boy shot his 2-year-old sister in Lakeland in 2021. The little girl survived.
LkldNow’s Insight Polk independent reporting initiative is made possible by the Community Indicators Project with funding by GiveWell Community Foundation & United Way of Central Florida. All editorial decisions are made by LkldNow.
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Through the Insight Polk initiative, Cindy explores barriers to improving the quality of life for Polk County. Previously, Cindy was a crime reporter, City Hall reporter and chief political writer for newspapers including the Albuquerque Journal and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. She spent a year as a community engagement coordinator for the City of Lakeland before joining LkldNow in 2023. Reach her at cindy@lkldnow.com or 561-212-3429.
