THOMASVILLE, N.C. — Thomasville police said a 12-year-old boy is in critical condition after being shot in the head.
Police said it happened at a home on Jarrett Street on Tuesday.
Officers found the boy in the back bedroom suffering from a single gunshot wound to the head. He was airlifted to Baptist Hospital.
WFMY News 2 spoke with a neighbor who heard all of the commotion.
"I was just sitting here and heard a lot of sirens and a lot of them and I got it and looked and it was all going down Jarrett Street so I knew something was pretty serious so I came out looked tried to see what was going on," Ronald Crouse said.
Investigators said the boy was inside his grandfather's house when the shooting happened. The grandfather was at work.
Victor Clampitt has been charged with failing to properly secure a firearm to protect a minor.
Gary McKoy the owner of McKoy Tactical and Defense a concealed carry academy says it's always important to properly store firearms around kids. He says don't just put it in a shoebox or in a drawer. Keeping it in a safe that needs a combination is the best option.
"If there are kids around always always keep them out of reach and locked up because the next thing you know you need help somebody else needs help you don't want to end up in the hospital or having to explain to your neighbor that the child is no longer here because someone got a hold of your gun," McKoy said.
Not only will the child be hurt, he says the gun owner will face consequences too.
"You are opening yourself up to serious crimes if a child gets their hand on your gun and gets out and goes out in public and threatens people if they wave it around, if that's reported and it's your firearm you are going to jail if a child does that," McKoy said.
If you have small children in your house, he says to make sure you guns are not loaded just in case a child does get ahold of it.