3-year old boy shot by 14-year old uncle while trying to "teach him about gun safety"

A 14-year old boy stole a .25-caliber handgun from a dealer and hidden it in his room, in Urbana, Illinois.  His 3-year old nephew, Mekhi Woods, found the handgun.  The boys lived together in the same home.  Thinking he could teach the toddler about gun safety, the teen took the gun and aimed it at the boy.  Unfortunately, it was still loaded.  He shot the boy in the forehead.  The toddler soon died from his wound.

From the article:

State’s Attorney Julia Rietz said the youth had taken the magazine out of the .25-caliber handgun that he had stolen in February from a Rantoul drug dealer’s home but apparently didn’t realize it was still loaded.

Rietz said the teen told Urbana police that Mekhi had been playing with the gun, which the teen kept in his room.

“He pointed it at the child and pulled the trigger, wanting to scare him and teach him about gun safety, not knowing there was a round in the chamber,” she said.

Rietz said after the round hit the toddler in the forehead, the teen scooped the child up and ran outdoors with him, handing his limp body to a young female friend he knew from school.

Assistant State’s Attorney Chris Kanis told Ladd in court that the child was still breathing, although the breathing was labored and the child had an obvious open wound to the forehead.

When the first officer arrived, the girl handed the wounded boy to him. At the same time, the teen was outside still holding the gun and yelling hysterically that he had shot his nephew and was going to shoot himself, Kanis said.

Every gun in the hands of a child must first pass through the hands of an adult.