COPS: Ocala 14-Year-Old Apparently Shot Himself In The Neck By Accident; Boy Is In Critical Condition

OCALA, FL – On Monday, June 6, at approximately 1 p.m., the Ocala Police Department responded to Shadow Oaks Mobile Home Park, located at 3120 SE 10th Avenue, about a 14-year-old boy who apparently shot himself in the neck.

When the first officer arrived, a resident outside the trailer flagged down the patrol vehicle and told the officer the teen was lying down inside on the living room floor. Two adult females were tending to the teen’s injury and actively applying chest compressions.

When the police officer entered the home, he took over the chest compressions. After a few minutes, the teen began to take shallow breaths and looked around. EMS arrived, took over medical treatment, and trauma-alerted him to the hospital.

The boy is in critical condition.

Detectives are investigating and it appears that the shooting was accidental. Prior to the shooting, two teen boys, who were friends, were inside the home. The boy who apparently shot himself was a neighbor and did not live at the home where the shooting occurred. The gun was inside the parent’s bedroom dresser. The victim found it and apparently shot himself in the neck by accident. No adults were inside the home when the shooting took place. The gun owner, who is the other boy’s parent, was away at work.

Detectives are still actively investigating.

The Ocala Police Department is reminding gun owners that talking to their kids about gun safety is an essential first step, but it’s not the only step. If you own a gun, always store it properly. A properly stored gun could prevent suicides, accidental shootings, and even murders.

Florida Statute 790.174 Safe storage of firearms required.
(1) A person who stores or leaves, on a premise under his or her control, a loaded firearm, as defined in s. 790.001, and who knows or reasonably should know that a minor is likely to gain access to the firearm without the lawful permission of the minor’s parent or the person having charge of the minor, or without the supervision required by law, shall keep the firearm in a securely locked box or container or in a location which a reasonable person would believe to be secure or shall secure it with a trigger lock, except when the person is carrying the firearm on his or her body or within such close proximity thereto that he or she can retrieve and use it as easily and quickly as if he or she carried it on his or her body.