2-year-old shoots self in face in east Texas home (VIDEO)
A new metareport by the Shorenstein Center says that firearm homicide rates for young adults in the US were 42.7 times higher than in other nations.
A 2-year-old Texas boy is dead after shooting himself in the face with a handgun he found while looking for some gum.
Trenton Mathis was pronounced dead at a hospital in Tyler on Wednesday.
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His great-grandmother, Carolyn Mathis, told KLTV he had gone looking for some gum and opened her bedroom door, which was not closed all the way.
He found a 9 mm handgun on the nightstand and shot himself in the face.
Carolyn Mathis and her husband were at home when the shooting occurred. Two other children in their care have since been removed from the home, the Tyler Morning Telegraph reported.
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The children had been living with their great-grandparents since late last year following reports of abuse and neglect in their parents' home, authorities said.
Carolyn Mathis told KLTV the family was "devastated" and wanted everyone with guns in their homes to make sure they're locked away.
Trenton would have turned 3 years old on July 5, according to KLTV. KLTV.com-Tyler, Longview, Jacksonville, Texas | ETX News
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