Man accidentally shot dead by 2-year-old in Georgia

Relationship between Dustin Walters and toddler is not yet clear

Dustin Walters was accidentally shot dead by a two-year-old in Georgia on 5 December 2021 (Dustin Walters / Facebook)

A Georgia man has died after he was accidentally shot by a toddler, the police said on Tuesday.

Dustin Walters, 25, was found at his home with a gunshot wound on 5 December. He was taken to a hospital, where he died from his injuries, the Savannah police department said in a statement.

Preliminary investigation revealed that he was wounded when a “toddler, who was just under 2 years of age, found and fired the handgun, striking Walters,” the police said.

The relationship between Walters and the toddler has not been made public. But an obituary said that Walters was a father who lived in Savannah and worked for a property development company, reported The Herald Sun.

“We grieve along with the Walters family,” said Savannah police chief Roy Minter. “As a parent, I cannot imagine what this family is going through or will continue to go through in the coming years. What we want to make sure now is that parents are aware that although rare, these incidents can happen with tragic results.”

“Please take this seriously and take the steps to ensure that you and your family members are safe,” he added.

The police urged the community to use gun locks and ensure that firearms were kept away from children in the house.

“Make sure those firearms are secured and not accessible by children,” the police said “If your children frequent a home where there are firearms, have a conversation with those people to make sure that firearms are secured and not accessible.”

“If your child is old enough, have a conversation about the dangers of firearms and advise the child to never touch a firearm. Also, tell the child to notify an adult if they find a gun,” it added. “However, experts advise that adults should acknowledge that children are curious and they should not rely on these conversations alone to be a deterrent.”

The incident comes amid increasing accidental shootings and rising firearm ownership in the US.

Research by gun control advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety revealed that there were at least 330 unintentional shootings by children, resulting in 135 deaths and 212 injuries nationally, in 2021.

The group’s research has also concluded that between March and December of 2020, there was a 32 per cent increase in unintentional shooting deaths by children of themselves and others, and an 18 per cent increase in unintentional injuries, compared to the same time period in 2019.

In August, a 21-year-old Florida woman was accidentally killed after a toddler allegedly shot her in the head during a video call.