Father arrested after child accidentally shoots self

The father of an 11-year-old boy who accidentally shot himself in the backside is under arrest, and possibly facing child abuse charges.

Commander Whitney Walton, of the Detroit Police Department said, "Leaving an 11-year-old with a loaded rifle is a reckless act."

Police say the 11-year-old boy was home alone, and unsupervised when somehow he got a hold of a gun and started playing with it.

"His father had left early for work and had, what our information is, the father had told the son, there's a rifle in the house if anything happens," said Walton.

Police say the rifle was unsecured and loaded. The boy moved it to a bedroom and sat next to it on the bed, when police say he accidentally pulled the trigger.

"You should not have an 11-year-old home alone with the rifle that you've made them aware of," Walton said.

The boy and his 37-year-old father live alone in their apartment on West Vernor. Friends of the family are shocked.

"From what I've seen, his father is a really good father," says Alicia Dickson. "He's always happy and smiling, I don't understand how he had access to the gun, though."

The boy is expected to be recover, and was able to walk to the ambulance himself. Police say he notified his dad about the accidental shooting through a Facebook message.

"The father immediately got back home with a co-worker,” Walton said. "He stayed there the entire time, the father never left and was on the phone with the hospital very concerned about his son.” 

Detroit Police Department's child abuse unit is still conducting interviews with the father and son. Then they will present their case to the prosecutor’s office.