Staff at More Tampa are preparing to bring crucial lessons to kids around Hillsborough and Pinellas schools, however, this week one in particular stands out after an accidental deadly shooting at a Tampa home.
Tampa Police and the Hillsborough Co. Sheriff’s office are investigating the circumstances that lead to a four-year-old accidentally shooting himself after he found a loaded gun inside a Tampa home on Sunday. Police say the State Attorney’s Office is reviewing the case to determine if they will pursue any charges.
Laci Stokes is a program coordinator at More Health and says they teach kids to remember two things if they ever find a gun. Always assume it’s real and loaded.
“We don't know by looking at a firearm,” said Stokes. “And so if a child finds a gun we want them to halt to hands off to get out and to get help.”
It helped during one student’s walk to school after he found a gun on the ground.
He got a crossing guard's attention who then called police.
Police say the gun had been ditched from a robbery and was fully loaded.
“We don't hear many stories,” she said, “but we do know that we are making a difference.”
More Health teams up with local law enforcement, visiting schools and teaching kids about gun safety among other topics.
