A two-year-old boy, Rio Carrington, fatally shot himself last week after finding a gun in his Arlington home, according to police.
Police responded to the scene in the 5300 block of Pocassett Drive after receiving a call around 12:30 a.m. from the family’s neighbor, who reported hearing a gunshot. At approximately the same time, Carrington’s mother called to say her son was bleeding, per CBS News.
The child was treated on the scene and transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead less than an hour later.
Police speculate that Carrington may have found the gun in his teenage brother’s room and was alone when the shooting occurred.
“It’s always a sad and unfortunate situation when a child is injured in any kind of way, so arriving on scene and seeing a child with a gunshot wound to the face is disheartening,” said Sgt. Courtney White of the Arlington Police Department, per NBC 5 DFW. “It’s mentally draining, emotionally draining, and just an overall … bad situation.”
The police are investigating the gun’s origin and have not released any information about its type or caliber or whether it was purchased legally, per Fox 4 KDFW.
Family and friends have taken to social media to express their condolences and share memories of Rio. A GoFundMe campaign has also been set up to help the family cover funeral expenses.
“Rio, you mean the world to us and everyone you touched, having life taken so swiftly away so suddenly it seem so unfair!!” wrote GoFundMe organizer Tiffany Cluckey. “But we trust in you god and the prayers of everyone to help us get through this horrible time ..as we ask the public for any help they can so we can send rio off properly we will be very thankful .. keep us in your prayers .. thank you god bless.”
Carrington’s death is not an isolated incident. At least six children in Tarrant County have died from gunshot wounds this year alone. The Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth has reportedly treated 225 juvenile patients for gunshot wounds between 2018 and 2022. Of those, 22 died from their injuries, per the New York Post.
Local police are urging gun owners to take precautions to prevent incidents like these from happening in the future. They are reminding gun owners to store their firearms securely and are offering free gun locks to the public.
Sgt. White reminded everyone that gun safety is paramount.
“Please lock your handguns up. They can get into the wrong hands, or they can get into a child’s hands. And something this serious and unfortunate can happen to them. And now this mom is going to have to bury her young child.” she said, per CBS News.
