Playdate Turns Tragic as Boy, 9, Accidentally Shoots Himself
A Lancaster neighborhood was left heartbroken Monday evening after a 9-year-old boy accidentally shot himself in the head while playing with a friend in a home on Summitview Drive.
Police say the tragic incident happened around 5:30 p.m. in the basement, where two children had been playing. The boy reportedly found a firearm, a Black Glock Model 43 9mm semi-automatic, and discharged it.
In distressing 911 calls obtained by ABC 6, the boy’s grandfather and uncle can be heard pleading for help. “My grandson shot himself in the head,” his grandfather told dispatchers. “Please come.”
The child was airlifted to Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus and remains in serious condition. Lancaster police confirmed that his grandparents and uncle were home at the time, but were unaware that a gun was in the house or that it was loaded.
The community has been shaken by the tragedy. Lancaster City Schools have mobilized counseling services for students and staff affected, emphasizing emotional support for the boy’s classmates and teachers.
This heartbreaking event adds to a growing pattern of accidental shootings involving children across Central Ohio. Just weeks ago, a 3-year-old in Columbus lost his life in a similar incident, underscoring the urgent need for firearm safety and secure storage in homes where children live or visit.
- Every child has the right to safety, to play without fear, and to grow up free from preventable harm. When a gun in the home robs a child of that right, the responsibility lies with adults to ensure it never happens again. Protecting children means protecting their spaces, so that playdates don’t end in tragedy.
