Brooks Thomas Wilson, Santaquin, Utah 5 year old boy accidentally shoots self dead with father’s gun as police decline to say whether the weapon was securely stored out of harm’s way. Authorities not to pursue charges against parents, Kristin and Bryan Wilson.
The family of a 5 year old Utah boy have been left devastated after the infant, ‘accidentally shot’ himself dead with a gun in his parent’s bedroom.
Brooks Thomas Wilson – found his father’s 9 mm handgun in the back room of the family’s home, Thursday afternoon and fired a single shot to the head, killing himself, Santaquin police said.
The boy´s parents, and possibly one of his siblings, were inside the home when the shooting happened but were not with him in the room.
5 year old Santaquin boy remembered
The father went into the room as soon as he heard the gunshot and started CPR, but to no avail as the child was instantly killed following the weapon discharging.
Authorities do not suspect foul play, and charges against the parents are not currently being pursued, KSL-TV reported.
KUTV reported the 9mm handgun belonging to the father. Lt. Mike Wall with the Santaquin Police Department declined to say if or how the weapon was secured.
The investigation, which will include a report by the medical examiner, could now take several months.
Kristin Wilson, the boy’s mother, is a local pre-school teacher. Her and husband Bryan have four children including Brooks.
A statement released Friday and attributed to the ‘Wilson and Hunsaker families‘ described the shooting as ‘an unimaginable tragedy’ that serves as a reminder to take precautions to ensure the safety of children.
‘This heartbreaking incident has taught us difficult lessons, and we deeply regret that it unfolded this way. Our hearts are shattered, and we hope that our family´s loss serves as a poignant reminder of how quickly life can change,’ the statement read.
Did victim’s father safely secure and store weapon out of harm’s way?
They described young Brooks as having ‘lived his life to the fullest and always wore his heart on his sleeve’ in an obituary.
The tight-knit town of about 14,000 people 60 miles south of Salt Lake City is one of the best anyone could ask for when it comes to support, Wall said.
‘The family obviously is devastated. … Obviously it’s a shock to the community. It’s always a good reminder of how quick things can happen and how fast accidents can take place,’ he said.
The Wilsons have started a Gofundme to ‘support our family during this time, any contributions will go towards covering funeral expenses’.
Of note, Utah currently does not have any laws to penalize someone for failing to secure an unattended firearm and leaving it accessible to an unsupervised minor, according to the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence.
The state also does not require unattended firearms to be stored in a certain way or require a locking device to be sold with a firearm according to FOX13.
Investigators continue to decline to say whether the gun used by the boy was securely stored out of reach.
