4-year-old son of Michigan sheriff's deputy accidentally shoots and kills himself

The four-year-old boy of a sheriff’s deputy in northern Michigan accidentally shot and killed himself with a handgun at the family’s home over the weekend, state police said Monday. Authorities believe Michael Easter was playing with the firearm when he shot himself one time on Saturday in Liberty Township, said First Lt. Michael Krumm of the state police. Police have sent evidence to a forensic lab for analysis but don’t think there was any criminal intent at play. “At this point there is nothing that’s leading us to believe that this is anything more than a tragic accident,” Krumm said. The handgun was believed to be registered to the boy’s father, Mark Easter, Krumm said, adding that he had yet to receive confirmation. But it was not Easter’s service weapon, he said. Easter was on his way to work when his wife called and told him what happened, Jackson County Sheriff Steve Rand told mlive.com. The boy was pronounced dead at a local medical center. “This just serves as a reminder that we need to be vigilant when it comes to keeping our children safe,” Rand said. Cammy Rose, the cousin of Easter’s wife, told NBC affiliate wilx.com: “Mark's a good guy. I know this wasn't intentional." "My heart is broken for my cousin," she said. "He was definitely taken from this world too early." A week ago, a 4-year-old Houston boy fatally shot himself with his father's stolen handgun while his dad slept.

http%3A//usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/03/04/17181047-4-year-old-son-of-michigan-sheriffs-deputy-accidentally-shoots-and-kills-himself



• But the conservatives tell me that all licensed handgun owners, especially the kind with badges, are responsible gun owners.....!

• Well, if the father had a gun none of this would have... Oh.

• Won't somebody please think of arming the children?!

  Helen%20Lovejoy%20LaPierre%20

• It's a good start to thinning out the herd.

  Too%20soon%3F

• I don't understand how this happens. Why keep an obviously loaded gun within reach of a child? Where was the mom, and why wasn't she watching him? Poor kid.

• [quote]Why keep an obviously loaded gun within reach of a child? It's called The U.S. Gun Culture.

• idiots. all of them

  the%20child%20is%20a%20born%20idiot%2C%20%20but%20this%20is%20still%20sad

• Darwin. But still sad. Wow, that home gun really protected the family from an intruder, didn't it?

• Thass jus turble.

  Charles%20Barkley

• I guess his father wasn't a GOOD gun owner.

• Not a tragic accident if a gun was left loaded where a four year old could grab it. It's criminal negligence.

• The only thing that will stop a bad guy with a gun is a toddle with a gun.

• [quote]Where was the mom, and why wasn't she watching him? Why blame the mother? It was the fathers' gun = fathers' responsibility. The accident happened when the father was on his way to work; perhaps he'd gotten the gun out to take to work but then forgot it on the nightstand or something.

• .

• So sad. The father should be charged with manslaughter.

• So sad.

• .

• Why do these senseless accidents continue? This gun culture, as manifested by the wing-nuts, video games, and NRA is absurd.

• So wait - was he a good guy with a gun or a bad guy with a gun?

• He lived in Michigan so this worked out very well for him.

  B.%20Bush

• Exactly, R13. What kind of stupid dad leaves a loaded gun anywhere that's not locked? One of my FB friends is a fucking NRA troll and she's constantly posting pictures of her 4 year old shooting guns. You know, responsibly? How in the fuck can trust a 4 year old not to shoot themselves even when you're standing right fucking there? I hope he shoots his parents' feet off.