Notable accidental shootings involving children in Arizona

PHOENIX (AP) - The Associated Press and the USA TODAY Network have collaborated on an ongoing project to examine issues related to gun violence in America. The latest installment of the project found that prosecutors across the United States vary widely in deciding whether to bring charges against adults when children get hold of guns and kill themselves or other children.

Here are summaries of accidental fatal shootings in Arizona in recent years in which a child got hold of a gun:

PAYSON:

A 3-year-old boy fatally shot his 1-year-old brother in May 2014 with a handgun that he found in an apartment in Payson.

The shooting occurred when the children and their mother went to get food from the apartment of a neighbor who had helped out them when they were in need. The boys were in a bedroom while the mother filled up boxes of food, and the mother later discovered that the 3-year-old had a .40-caliber handgun.

Before she could say anything, the gun went off, struck the youngest boy in the head and caused him to fall to the ground. He was later pronounced dead while at a hospital, according to police reports.

Three unsecured handguns were hidden in the apartment but weren’t locked up. The gun used in the shooting was believed to have been covered up by a towel.

Prosecutors didn’t bring charges against the neighbor, who was described as a frail 78-year-old man who suffered from dementia or Alzheimer’s. Authorities suggested his condition and the unannounced visit by the family played a role in not bringing charges.

Police said the 3-year-old had no understanding about the shooting and they didn’t believe he even knew what the word “gun” meant.

AVONDALE:

A 5-year-old boy died on September 28 from an accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound with an unsecured gun that he found in his family’s Avondale apartment.

Savier Jones was at home with his mother and two siblings when he found the gun in a bedroom.

The 9-mm handgun belonged to the boy’s father, who wasn’t at home at the time of the shooting.

The child’s mother wasn’t in the bedroom at the time. She rushed to her son once she heard gunfire.

Police say they have recommended neglect and endangerment charges against the child’s father for not securing the gun. The recommendation is being reviewed by prosecutors.