A three-year-old boy shot himself in the face with his mother’s gun in the US state of Michigan. The incident took place at around 4:30 pm (local time) at St. Patrick Avenue near Elmo Street, local media reported.

As per preliminary investigation, the mishap occurred after the boy’s mother came home from work and put her gun down on the dresser, Detroit Police Department chief James White said.

The child soon got hold of the unsecured gun and accidentally shot himself. The bullet grazed his face, but the child is expected to survive. However, his condition remains critical as of Friday night.

“A three-year-old toddler roaming around, they see you put the gun down, they are probably gonna pick it up just like anything else,” CBS News quoted James White as saying.

Although there was a locked gun box inside the house, it was not used at the time of the shooting.

“It only takes a minute, less than a minute, seconds. You have to secure these weapons,” White said.

Police are now investigating whether the child’s mother had a license for the gun. With Michigan’s gun storage law coming into effect earlier this year, police said they were further looking forward to charging the woman with improper storage of a firearm, reports added.

Meanwhile, the nearby resident stated that those owning guns should lock their weapons responsibly to put an end to such incidents.

Lorenzo Hardy, who stays a few doors away from where the shooting took place, said he understands what the child may now encounter next.

“It is the trauma, it is the thing that a three-year-old has to live with for the rest of his life… It’s really sad that a child gets to hold a gun; it’s ridiculous,” Hardy said.

Detroit Police are further investigating the matter.

A 2-year-old girl who went missing in Michigan, US, with two family dogs was found asleep in the woods hours later using one of her pets as a pillow. According to Sky News, the little girl wandered away from her home on Wednesday night. Her disappearance sparked a major hunt, with drones and police dogs joining the cops and local residents to search the remote wooded area.

After several hours missing, the girl was found asleep by authorities using the smaller dog of the two as a pillow. “She laid down and used one of the dogs as a pillow, and the other dog laid right next to her and kept her safe,” lieutenant Mark Giannunzio said, as per the outlet. “It’s a really remarkable story,” he added. 

The girl, identified as Thea Chase, was first reported missing in Faithorn at about 8pm Wednesday, as per People. At about midnight, she was found around three miles away from her home by a local riding an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) with her two dogs lying beside her. Mr Giannunzio said that the little girl was assessed by medical staff and appeared to be healthy. 

Also Read | Parents, Aunt Arrested After 6-Month-Old Baby In US Nearly Dies From More Than 50 Rat Bites

Speaking to People, a Michigan State Police public information officer said that the smaller dog she was using as a pillow was a cocker spaniel, while the bigger dog, a rottweiler, was in “guardian mode”. As far as the police investigation, authorities don’t believe foul play or negligence played any part in the whole ordeal.

Notably, Faithorn – the region where the girl went missing – is an unincorporated village located just east of the Wisconsin state line and about 97 kilometers southwest of Marquette, Michigan. 

According to People, in May an 8-year-old boy also went missing for two days during a family camping trip in Michigan. He was discovered underneath a log where he had sought warmth and shelter. Back then, authorities said that more than 150 personnel from Michigan State Police and local police partners searched for the missing boy on foot, by air and by water.