Ten-year-old Melvin Samuel Cockroft III died after an accidental, self-inflicted gunshot at his North Miami home at 14050 Northwest Fifth Place on September 25, 2023. The shooting occurred shortly after 8 p.m. on a Monday evening; a 911 call said a gun had fallen from a closet and discharged, striking the child. Melvin was taken to Ryder Trauma Center but did not survive.

The firearm was registered to Melvin’s father, who was at the home when the accident occurred. North Miami Police Chief Cherise Gause said it was too early to say whether charges would be filed while police consulted the state attorney’s office. Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle noted Florida law requires securing loaded guns to prevent child access. No charges had been filed as of the latest reports.

Anyone with information about the incident or about safe storage practices in homes with children is asked to share what they know.