Two-year-old Kiyan Shelton, a Black male, died on April 20, 2016, in Indianapolis after a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest. He was at home on the city’s northwest side when he climbed onto a kitchen counter, reached into his mother’s purse and retrieved a loaded .380 Bersa semi-automatic pistol that discharged.

Kiyan’s mother, Kanisha Shelton, had briefly stepped away to care for a 9-month-old daughter. Investigators from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department described the shooting as a tragic accident but homicide detectives presented their findings to the Marion County prosecutor’s office, which charged Kanisha Shelton with a felony count of neglect of a dependent resulting in death because the loaded handgun had been left within the child’s reach. She held a valid gun permit and later accepted a plea that resulted in a one-year prison sentence.

What information do readers have about safe storage practices or local resources that might help prevent similar accidents?