5-year-old fatally shot by other child after gun was unsecured at grandparents' Michigan home

A 5-year-old boy died after another young child shot him with a gun that was not secured in their grandparents' home on Monday in Michigan, officials said.

In an interview with WZZM, Lt. Michelle Robinson with the Michigan State Police said troopers were dispatched to a home in Garfield Township in Newaygo County around 3:25 p.m. on Monday and found a child dead from a gunshot wound.

Another child, a 6-year-old boy, was holding the gun when it went off, state police said in a statement on X, formerly Twitter. The children were in a bedroom in their grandparent's home, where a gun was left unsecured, police said.

"Hold your children tight tonight and give them an extra hug. Because this family is grieving," Robinson told WZZM.

New gun laws could mean possible charges

The case will be sent to Newaygo County prosecutors once an investigation is complete, police said.

Local media including WZZM and Fox 2 Detroit reported the gun owner could face charges under a new law that went into effect in February. Michigan's safe storage law requires guns to be stored away from children. If charged and convicted, the owner could face up to 15 years in prison, Fox 2 reported.

"The one thing that we do want to stress to parents is to get gun locks for your firearms, if you have them in your home, you never know when tragedy will strike," Robinson told WZZM.

"And so we can't reiterate that enough that there are police agencies throughout Michigan that do have those gun locks available. Just come in, they're free of charge, grab one and put them on the firearms that you have in your home."