Najia Boone, 8, Shot in Head After Struggling Over a Pistol with 10-Year-Old Brother

It is unconscionable that Najia Boone, 8, was shot in the head after struggling over a .22-caliber pistol with her 10-year old brother. The siblings struggled with the pistol in an upstairs bedroom of the family's home. Police say the child's brother had taken the weapon from a relative's home on Saturday.

The gun went off striking the girl in the right side of her head. She was flown to MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland after her mother took both children to EMH Regional Medical Center. The girl was listed in critical condition Sunday night at MetroHealth.

A neighbor who lives across the street from the home said she saw the mother rush out the front door with a young child under her arm and the 10-year-old walking beside her about the same time that 911 was called, about 4:13 p.m. “They got into their car and drove off, and a few seconds later an ambulance and police showed up,” the neighbor said.

When officers entered the home it was empty and a trail of blood was leading from outside to an upstairs bedroom. The pistol was found in the bedroom. Source: Chronicle Telegram

The police was notified of the incident by the hospital. This is a real shame and I hope there will be serious repercussions against the relative in whose home the gun was found. There is also the issue of personal responsibility. The boy should be aware of the dangers of playing with a gun. My son is 11 years old and he knows that guns are dangerous. It is obvious that this gun was not well-hidden or else the children would not have found it. The problem does not lie with the guns, but the people who own them.