2 Boys Shot By Toddler At Dearborn Daycare

DEARBORN, MI — Two 3-year-old boys shot by a toddler in a home-based daycare were in serious condition Wednesday night as Dearborn police continue to investigate what led a child to find and fire a weapon at other children. Dearborn's police chief called the shooting a "tragedy" but released few details about how the gun ended up in a toddler's hands.

The shooting took pace Wednesday morning in the 3000 block of Harding Street, according to Dearborn Police Chief Ronald Haddad. The boys are in critical but stable condition Wednesday afternoon, and their conditions were upgraded to serious by Wednesday night.

“This is a tragedy that affects the entire community and we wish the best for the victims involved,” Haddad said.

Police were dispatched to the home shortly after 10 a.m. after a 911 call from inside the home. The Dearborn residence, near Outer Drive and Rotunda Drive, where the shooting took place was being used as a babysitting facility, the Detroit Free Press reported. The home is owned by Tim and Samantha Eubanks, according to a WDIV-TV report.

Other children inside the home were removed by officers and taken to the police station. It’s unclear if the home was a licensed facility, the Detroit News reported, but a neighbor told WDIV-TV she's complained to the city about the young children being left in the care of an older child with no adult supervision.

Police were seen removing hunting rifles and other items from the home Wednesday. Additional information is expected from police Thursday morning.

WDIV-TV reported that the injured boys were rushed to Children’s Hospital in Detroit for treatment. The other children in the home were retrieved by their parents at the police station.

"We're going to pray that these two young kids are going to be OK," Haddad told reporters.

Samantha Eubanks's sister, Ashley Escobedo, told the Detroit News her sister runs the daycare and mostly watches for the children of friends and family. Escobedo said her sister doesn't charge much and loves children, noting that she has six of her own.

File photo