(Los Angeles) A nine-year-old child suspected of killing a family member with a gun was arrested in Utah, in the western United States, local police announced Tuesday.
The tragedy took place Friday evening in the town of Tooele, a law enforcement agent told AFP, without saying if it was an accident.
The police found “a 32-year-old man” who was unconscious at the home where they were called.
The victim suffered a “gunshot wound to the head,” and was taken to hospital “in extremely critical condition.” The man “later succumbed to his injuries”.
According to the first elements of the investigation, the child, who was arrested “later in the evening”, and the victim are from the same family.
“We are considering homicide charges,” police added, without saying whether it was a boy or a girl or giving further details.
Guns are very easily accessible in the United States and the country pays a heavy price for their spread throughout the country.
The country has more individual weapons than inhabitants: one in three adults owns at least one weapon and almost one in two adults lives in a home where there is a weapon.
The consequence of this proliferation is the very high rate of firearm deaths in the United States, incomparable to that of other developed countries.
About 49,000 people died from gunfire in 2021, compared to 45,000 in 2020, which was already a record year. This represents more than 130 deaths per day, more than half of which are suicides.
The United States Congress has not adopted an ambitious law for a long time, with many elected officials being under the influence of the powerful National Rifle Association (NRA), the leading American arms lobby.