On the evening of Tuesday, December 9, 2025, 10-year-old Zysean Owten was inside a residence near Vel R. Phillips Avenue and West Clarke Street in Milwaukee when a firearm was discharged and he suffered a gunshot wound to the head. Emergency responders took him to Children’s Wisconsin hospital, where he later died. The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office determined the fatal wound was self-inflicted and accidental, and reports say he had presumably gained access to a friend’s firearm and shot himself while handling it.

Milwaukee police arrested two adults who lived at the home — a 36-year-old man and a 46-year-old woman — on tentative charges of child neglect resulting in death; their names were withheld pending formal charging decisions. The community held a vigil to mourn Zysean, whose family and friends described him as charismatic and intelligent, and called for improved gun safety and youth protection.

Does anyone have information about the household or the circumstances that led to the firearm being unsecured?