The UNILAD Team
A seven-year-old boy has been shot after a gun accidentally went off in an elementary school classroom in Maryland.
The second grader suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound after he took a handgun to school with him, according to police.
Freetown Elementary School in Glen Burnie, Maryland, went into lockdown after the firearm went off yesterday at about 8.25am (February 4). The boy was taken to hospital for treatment for his injuries, which are not believed to be life-threatening.
A statement from Anne Arundel County Police said that officers responded to reports of the shooting at the school, but that a teacher had secured the weapon and given first aid to the student.
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Police said that there were other students in the classroom when the gun went off, but that none of them were injured.
Police Chief Amal Awad told CBS News: “None of us can imagine the terror or the fear that students experienced here this morning, and the teacher.
“We are very grateful that the teacher was very responsive in addressing that child's injuries and making sure first responders were notified.”
Detectives are now investigating how the incident occurred and how the gun came to be fired in the classroom. It is thought that the boy got the gun from his home, and authorities stressed the importance of free gun locks available.
Awad added: "How did a seven-year-old baby get ahold of a firearm and make it all the way to school? This isn't on the school.”
"How did a seven-year-old child gain access to a firearm and discharge it?”
County Executive Steuart Pittman said in a statement to CBS: "Thankfully, no other individuals were injured. Still, we have students, parents, teachers, and school faculty who have been left traumatized. A gun in one of our schools is our worst nightmare, and we are all grateful this did not end worse.”
According to the Everytown For Gun Safety Support Fund’s Not An Accident Index, there have been 26 accidental shootings by children in 2026. The index said that the shootings have resulted in nine deaths and 17 injuries in the United States this year.
2023 was reportedly the worst year on record for unintentional shootings by children, surpassing 400 incidents for the first time since Everytown started tracking in 2015.
Everytown said on its website: “One of the most effective ways to prevent these shootings is to ensure all guns are stored securely in homes, cars, and elsewhere.
“The gold standard for secure gun storage is to keep all guns unloaded, locked up, and separate from ammunition.”