On April 1, 2024, five-year-old Braxton Dykstra was killed at his grandparents’ home in Garfield Township, Newaygo, Michigan, after he and a six-year-old cousin found a loaded shotgun in the grandparents’ bedroom. The gun discharged while in the younger child’s hands, and Braxton was struck and killed; an eight-year-old sister witnessed the shooting.

Michigan State Police investigators found the shotgun and other firearms in the home were not securely stored. Investigators focused on firearm accessibility, and Braxton’s grandparents, Karl and Theresa Robart, were charged under Michigan’s recently enacted safe storage law, which requires firearms to be unloaded and locked when it is reasonably known a minor may be present.

The loss has devastated the family and the community and underscores questions about safe firearm storage in homes with children. If anyone knew Braxton or was at the Robarts’ home that day, please share what you remember.