In another parental responsibility case involving guns and children in Michigan, a Westland mother and father were charged Tuesday in the death of their 5-year-old son, who died by his own hands after finding his parents’ gun and accidentally shot himself with it. it.

According to Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy, the gun was not stored properly when the boy found it in his home last week and fired it, fatally hitting himself in the stomach. His parents, Timothy Gravel, 32, and Heather LeBlanc, 29, both of Westland, now face charges under Michigan’s new safe-storage law, which took effect in February and allows prosecutors to parents criminally liable if their unsecured guns end up in the hands of minors who then either kill themselves or injure themselves or someone else with the gun.

The Westland case is tragically similar to the deadly 2021 Oxford High School shooting in that it was also committed by a boy who found his parents’ unsecured gun in the house — only that shooter used the gun to kill others, not himself himself. Michigan did not have a safe storage law at the time of the shooting. However, his parents, James and Jennifer Crumbley, made history this year by becoming the first parents in America to be charged in a mass school shooting by their child. The couple was charged and ultimately convicted of failing to properly secure a gun that ended up costing them the lives of four students. Each is serving 10 years in prison, though both are appealing.

More: Detroit parents accused of beating 8-year-old son to death

More: Officials are working to identify the body that washed ashore at Pictured Rocks

Their son, Ethan Crumbley, pleaded guilty and is serving a life sentence, although he is also appealing.

Meanwhile, the Westland couple face a similar fate to the Crumbleys in an issue that resonated with the jury – their gun storage.

“Another young child died because adults didn’t safely store their firearms – yes, that’s plural. This child’s death was completely and utterly preventable. This is the seventh this year,” District Attorney Worthy said in a statement announcing the charges.

According to Worthy, the incident happened on Nov. 7 around 8:40 p.m. at a home in the 33000 block of Alamo Street in Westland, where the boy found his parents’ gun and shot himself with it. He was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The boy’s parents were arraigned Monday in District Court 18. Gravel was given a $50,000 cash bond; LeBlanc was given a $25,000 cash bond. As of Tuesday evening, it was not known if they had posted bond. The two are scheduled to appear at a probable cause conference Nov. 21, where a judge will determine whether there is enough evidence to charge the couple in a case that could test the state’s new safe-storage law.

If convicted, the couple could face up to 15 years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine. Attorneys for the couple were not available for comment Tuesday night.

Michigan’s new safe storage law, which went into effect Feb. 13, requires people to keep unattended guns unloaded and locked with a locking device or stored in a locked box or container if reasonably known that a minor is probably present on the premises.

According to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, data shows that guns are involved in unintentional deaths among children and adolescents they were often stored both loaded and unlocked and occurred while the child was playing with or showing the firearm to others.

If a person fails to keep a firearm as required and a minor obtains the firearm and any of the following occurs, he is guilty of the following:

• If the minor possesses or displays the firearm in a public place or in the presence of another person in a careless, reckless or threatening manner, he is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by up to 93 days in jail or a fine of up to $500, or both.

• If the minor fires the gun and injures himself or another person – this is a felony punishable by up to five years in prison, a maximum fine of $5,000, or both.

• If the minor pulls out the gun and seriously impairs bodily function on himself or another person – this is a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and/or a $7,500 fine.

• If the minor pulls out the gun and kills himself or another, it is a felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison and/or a fine of up to $10,000.

According to the MDHHS, in 2020 firearms became the number one cause of death for children in the United States and Michigan, surpassing motor vehicle deaths and those from other injuries.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, two-thirds (67%) of accidental gunshot deaths among children and adolescents occurred when the shooter was playing with a gun or showing it to others. Overall, firearms used in accidental deaths were often stored unlocked (76%) and most of these unlocked firearms were also loaded (91%). Unlocked firearms were most frequently accessed from a bedside table or other sleeping areas (30%).

Additionally, guns are involved in more than half of Michigan’s suicide deaths.

For more information on gun and child safety, visit the MDHHS Firearm Safety website.

Contact Tresa Baldas: [email protected]

This article originally appeared on the Detroit Free Press: Westland parents charged in shooting death of 5-year-old son under new law