Detroit Mother Charged After Toddler Is Shot With Unsecured Gun
The shooting happened shortly after 8 a.m. on November 3 at a home on Evergreen Road. Prosecutors said Black was preparing breakfast when she heard a sharp bang from a bedroom. Police discovered the boy had been shot in the abdomen and took him to a hospital, where doctors described him as being in critical condition. His 4-year-old sibling was in the home, but was not injured.
An investigation found that the child had accessed an unsecured handgun in the bedroom. The handgun belonged to Black. Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison said investigators had not determined exactly how the boy found and reached it. He also said Black did not have a concealed pistol license, which was not required for a weapon kept in her home.
On November 5, the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office charged Black with a safe-storage violation involving a minor who suffered serious impairment. Michigan law requires unattended firearms to be unloaded and secured with a lock, or kept inside a locked container, when a minor is reasonably likely to be present. Black was due to appear before Magistrate Delphia Burton at 10:30 a.m. Thursday in Detroit’s 36th District Court.
Mayor Mary Sheffield said young children cannot grasp the risks posed by a loaded firearm and that guns should be unloaded, locked away and kept apart from ammunition. The boy remained in critical condition according to the latest information provided.
Toddler’s Shooting Puts Michigan Safe-Storage Law to the Test
A Detroit toddler was critically injured after finding an unsecured handgun in a bedroom, and his mother now faces a charge under Michigan’s law requiring secure firearm storage when children may be present. The shooting happened shortly after 8 a.m. on November 3, while Amoya Black was making breakfast at home.
Police said the 2-year-old shot himself in the stomach. His 4-year-old sibling was in the home too, but was not hurt. The boy was hospitalized in critical condition. The handgun belonged to Black, and investigators had not established exactly how the child accessed it.
The charge alleges a safe-storage violation in which a minor suffered serious impairment. Michigan law requires unattended guns to be unloaded and secured with a lock, or placed inside a locked container, when a minor is reasonably likely to be nearby. That requirement reflects a basic child-safety responsibility, not an expectation that young children will recognize a firearm’s danger.
Mayor Mary Sheffield emphasized that firearms should be unloaded, locked away and stored separately from ammunition. Black was expected in Detroit’s 36th District Court at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, November 5. The case puts the consequences of leaving a weapon accessible to a child squarely before the court.
Detroit Case Concerns Enforcement of Existing Gun-Storage Law
The case against Amoya Black is about an alleged violation of Michigan’s existing safe-storage law after a 2-year-old accessed a handgun at a Detroit home. It is a grave incident, but the charge concerns what happened in one home—not evidence in these reports for a broader claim about gun ownership or a new restriction.
Police said the boy shot himself in the stomach after finding an unsecured gun in a bedroom. Black was making breakfast when she heard a sharp bang. The child was taken to a hospital and reported to be in critical condition; his 4-year-old sibling was unharmed. The handgun belonged to Black, and police had not determined exactly how the child reached it.
Michigan law requires unattended firearms to be unloaded and secured with a lock, or placed in a locked case, when a minor is reasonably likely to be present. Prosecutors charged Black with violating that law, alleging a minor suffered serious impairment. Detroit’s police chief said a concealed pistol license was not required for a gun kept in the home.
Mayor Mary Sheffield stressed secure storage and said young children cannot grasp the risks posed by a loaded firearm. Black was expected to appear in court at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, November 5. The allegation will be addressed through the legal process, while the reported facts leave the precise way the child accessed the weapon unresolved.
Reported by CBS Detroit, ClickOnDetroit WDIV.
