An 8-year-old Morgan County boy is recovering after he accidentally shot himself last weekend. According to a press release from 9th Judicial District Attorney General Russell Johnson, shortly after 7pm on Friday (9/8/2023), authorities were dispatched to a residence on Ray Cross Road in the Mossy Grove Community of Morgan County. The mother stated that she and one child were in the living room when she heard a ‘pop’. She went into the kitchen and discovered her son had been shot with a 9 mm handgun. According the boy’s parents, the father placed the loaded handgun in a holster on top of the refrigerator. The boy reportedly used a chair to reach the gun and somehow shot himself one time in the upper chest area. He was taken by LifeStar to UT Medical Center where it was discovered that the bullet went through his body without hitting vital organs. He did suffer a fracture to his shoulder. The child was released on Saturday and is reportedly doing well.
According to the press release, Morgan County Sheriff Wayne Potter also reported that DCS has been to the house several times regarding this boy and that DCS was immediately notified by the Morgan County Sheriff after he arrived on scene at the direction of District Attorney General Russell Johnson.
General Johnson notes this is the second shooting of a child with a loaded handgun kept in the home in his four county district in less that two weeks. Fortunately, this one did not result in death. On Sunday, August 27, 2023 a four-year-old girl was shot and killed in Rockwood (Roane County) by Breanna Runions, who is the girlfriend of the girl’s custodian. Runions was charged with aggravated child abuse and felony murder.