A 5-year-old child has died after being shot inside a Calumet City home Thursday, police said.
According to authorities, officers were called around 9 p.m. to the 200 block of Paxton for a "report of a child shot."
Officers arrived and found a 5-year-old child with a gunshot wound to the head. They "immediately began performing life saving measures" and the child was taken to a local trauma center, where he was ultimately pronounced dead. He was identified as Kentrell Pouncy.
"Regardless of the circumstances concerning this tragic death, our hearts are broken as this family must now deal with the loss of this young child. I would like to express my deepest condolences to the family. Earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal" Calumet City Mayor Thaddeus Jones said in a statement.
Police said a preliminary investigation found that a gun was discharged inside the home. Five people were inside the home at the time, including the 5-year-old, three other juveniles and the child's mother.
Authorities said at a press conference on Friday they believe the gun was brought into the home by a family member, believed to be a sibling, from a different and unspecified location. The child's mother did not know about the gun, police said.
"This is a tragic incident," said police chief Kevin Kolosh. "One that nobody wants to speak about. One that nobody wants to hear about. But it's also a reminder of gun safety that parents need to have talks with their children, whether or not they have guns in the house. And the conversations should specifically state, 'Do not touch the guns and if you see a gun notify responsible adults.'"
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