Child's accidental shooting in Warren leads to Macomb County's first safe storage law charge
WARREN, Mich. (FOX 2) - The charge against a Warren father after his 8-year-old son accidentally shot himself with an unsecured gun is the first time the Macomb County prosecutor has enforced Michigan's new safe storage law.
Theo Nichols, 56, was arraigned on counts of child abuse, illegally possessing a firearm, in addition to the firearm safe storage violation earlier this week. His son remains in "extremely critical condition" days after shooting himself in the head, Warren police said Wednesday.
Prosecutor Pete Lucido said if the child dies, it could lead to more severe charges against Nichols.
The update from Warren police came five days after officers were first called to the Cove Apartment Complex on April 19 on Hoover Road. They had gotten a call from a woman on the scene around 3 p.m.
The child was rushed to the hospital for care.
Nichols allegedly had purchased a firearm from someone in Detroit months earlier, despite being prohibited from owning a gun because of a drug conviction years earlier. The weapon, a 40 caliber Glock-style pistol, had been reported lost out of Westland.
He reportedly bought the gun for personal protection.
New Michigan gun laws go into effect Feb. 13: Safe storage, 'red flag', and expanded background checks rules
For anyone who violates any of the three new gun laws, there are added penalties like jail time and thousands of dollars in fines in Michigan.
According to Warren police, the gun had been placed above a kitchen cabinet. It was also loaded when the 8-year-old got ahold of the gun.
"All it is, is a simple turn of the key," Warren Police Commissioner Charles Rushton said Wednesday, showing the ease of locking a gun with a cable lock.
Warren Police Commissioner Charles Rushton displays how to use a cable lock.
It's unclear if the family's 33-year-old mother will be charged. Both parents and four juveniles were inside the home at the time of the shooting. Child Protective Services has also been involved in the case.