So far, no one facing charges in accidental shooting death of 4-year-old Makalah McKay
CHICAGO - A 4-year-old girl is now the youngest to die from gun violence in Chicago this year.
Makalah McKay was killed in an accidental shooting Thursday night. Her family is in mourning after she was shot by another child.
Police say the other child found a gun and it accidentally went off inside an Englewood home on South Carpenter Street around 6 p.m.
The shooting happened just hours after a Lurie Children's Hospital study found that in Chicago, 22% of parents report having a firearm at home that is stored fully loaded.
FOX 32 spoke with one of the researchers behind the study. She says the safest thing to do is keep the guns locked and bullets separate.
"I think people don't realize the risk of that the guns have for people living in the home. Like then young child shot yesterday in the horrible, tragic event. But also we're seeing unprecedented numbers of youth impacted with mental health issues after the pandemic. And having a gun in the home increases the risk of a lethal, completed suicide," said Dr. Karen Sheehan, Professor of Pediatrics at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine.
At this point, no one is facing any charges for McKay’s death.