A tragic incident unfolded in Lehi, Utah, on Tuesday morning when an 8-year-old boy accidentally shot himself in the head, leading to his untimely death. The unfortunate event took place in a vehicle parked outside a Maverik convenience store. The identity of the young boy has been withheld.
The Lehi police were alerted to the shooting incident shortly before 7:40 p.m. on Monday. Jeanteil Livingston, a police spokeswoman, confirmed that the child had accidentally shot himself. One of the first responders on the scene was an on-duty officer who, along with several bystanders, tried to save the boy’s life before he was rushed to a nearby hospital. The boy was later airlifted to another hospital along the Wasatch Front.
The circumstances leading up to the incident are still being investigated. Doug Shields, a witness who was at the convenience store during the incident, recounted the distressing scene. He described the boy’s mother frantically calling for help and the sight of the young boy covered in blood. Shields and another man assisted the mother, who briefly lost consciousness before explaining the tragic accident.
According to Shields, the mother revealed that the boy had found the gun under her seat and accidentally discharged it. Lehi Police Sgt. Jeff Smith underscored the incident as a heartbreaking reminder of the importance of gun safety and ensuring that children do not have easy access to firearms.
This tragic incident is not an isolated one. Just over a week ago, a 5-year-old boy from Santaquin died from an accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound after discovering a 9 mm handgun in a back bedroom. In another incident last week, a woman from Magna was charged with aggravated child abuse after her 3-year-old son shot himself in the foot with a gun she had left on a shelf. Sgt. Smith described these incidents as “super tragic,” expressing the police’s distress at responding to such events.