Gun Owner Charged After 5-Year-Old Fatally Shoots Self

MILWAUKEE, WI — A Milwaukee man is facing child neglect charges after a 5-year-old boy died by a gunshot wound, court documents say. Michael Moore, 25, is accused of leaving a loaded gun in a place accessible to the boy, whom police found dead with a gunshot wound.

On June 18, just after noon, police responded to the 3200 block of N. 45th St. on a report of a shooting. They found the 5-year-old, identified as NW, with a through-and-through gunshot wound to the head and attempted life-saving measures. The child was pronounced dead at 12:23 p.m.

The coroner later determined the cause of death to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Police found out that the child's mother, alongside their three other children, was living with Moore. She knew he had a gun that he used for personal protection, the court documents say.

On the morning of June 18, Moore went to work and the mother made breakfast for her children, put a movie on for them, and went to sleep.

Around noon, the gunshot woke her up. She saw her son, panicked, ran outside and screamed, the documents say. A neighbor called 911 and tried to perform CPR on the child. The mother couldn't go back inside, as she couldn't bear to see her son's body.

Police say Moore admitted to leaving his gun on a shelf in the living room and that he had a way to lock it up, but failed to use it that day. Police say he admitted he knew a child could have accessed the gun on a shelf.

If convicted, Moore faces up to $100,000 in fines and 25 years in prison.