Toddler Accidentally Shot to Death by Older Brother in Vacaville
.
October 13, 2009 • Demitria Dituri
Filed under Local News
Many people in America believe in their Second Ammedment Right to “bear arms”. This article is not a debate on that issue. Rather, I am simply bringing to light the dangers of keeping guns in your home with the example of a recent tragedy. This accident occurred very recently, on September 23rd, and it happened not very far away from us, just over in Vacaville. We all try to be safe, and we all say it could never happen to us, so why are guns still such a deadly problem in America?
Two-year-old Ayana Shanahan died instantly after her eight-year-old brother accidentally shot Ayana in the head while playing with his father’s loaded handgun. Investigators said there were additional weapons (rifles, shotguns, and pistols) inside the home that were not properly secure. Another investigator noted that the house was very dirty and unkempt, and that the conditions of the house were really unsafe. The boy is now in protective custody.
Michael Shanahan, 28, and Daniela Shanahan, 26, were arrested last Monday September 27, 2009, on charges of criminal storage of a firearm, felony child abuse, and neglect. Daniela is also facing an additional charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Michael is an active U.S. Army reservist. The Shanahan’s could face up to 13 years in state prison if they are convicted on all counts. A court date has not yet been set.
Michael Shanahan is being held on $36,666 bail, and Daniela Shanahan is being held on $43,333 bail. The shooting took place around 2:13 p.m. in the afternoon. Both parents were home at the time, while the children were playing unsupervised in their parents’ bedroom with a loaded handgun found laying on the bed.
There shouldn’t have even been any firearms in the house available for the eight-year-old to be able to get a hold of, and if there are any in the house, the parents should have locked them up and secured them properly. Michael is an active member of the U.S. Army reserve, so he really should have know better then to leave a loaded weapon just laying around. The least he could have done would have been to teach his children about the deadly force of a gun, and to NEVER play with guns.
To all the parents out there with firearms in the house: Do the right thing! Secure your guns properly or get rid of them. This could happen to your children. All parents need to teach their children about the importance of gun safety!!
Loading ...
The author did a really good job of having their article flow and make sense. It is very understandable and gives a lot facts about what happened. The topic of the story is very shocking. But to make an article you not only need a good topic but you need a lot of talent, which is what the author displayed in this article.
- Shafa I.
[Reply]
I think that parents should never leave any firearms where children can reach them because there is always a possibility of someone getting hurt. It is sad to know that the little boy has to live the rest of his life knowing that he killed his little sister. The parents should have known better than to leave a gun within reach of an 8 year old.
- Cassandra M.
[Reply]
The title of this article caught my attention right away. As soon as I saw this title, I knew I had to read this article. As I finished reading the article, I thought there should have been feelings of students about the situation presented in the article. That’s just my opinion though. I really appreciate the effort of the students who wrote and edited this article. Keep up the good work!
- Ryan L.
[Reply]
After reading this article i realized how accidents can lead to deadly or dangerous events. Also leaving guns around is a somewhat stupid and dangerous thing to do. My family doesn’t own a gun and after reading this i felt better that we don’t.
- Connor T.
[Reply]
I think this article is very well put together, contains a lot of information about what happened, and has a message trying to prevent something like that from happening again because accidents like this are stupid and shouldnt even happen. Good job!
- Eric S.
[Reply]
The title of this article caught my attention right away, it is a good topic to catch the eye of reader and make them want to know what occured in this story, in my opionion this article was put together well and had a lot of information in it. After reading this article it informs me about the true dangers fireams can have and that this could also happen to you. This is a good way to inform people people about these freak accidents and to help prevent them in our world today.
[Reply]