“Louisville Metro Police say an 8-year-old boy was shot and killed Saturday night inside of a home in the Shawnee neighborhood,” wdrb.com reports. “Family members identified the victim as Andre Lamont O’Neal, Jr. [above]. “‘We’re still in the very early stages of our investigation. We don’t know whether this was accidental or what we have,’ said LMPD spokesperson Dwight Mitchell.” Here’s how the man responsible describes what happened . . .
Family members say the child had been dropped off at a babysitter’s home on North 34th Street. While there at a gathering with several other kids and adults, police say the 8-year-old was somehow shot.
Elgin Anders admits it was his gun that shot the little boy. He would not say why he had his gun out, but that he was trying to put it away when it accidentally fired.
“I didn’t need it in my hand,” Anders said. “I came out to the grill. I had barbecue sauce on my fingers. I licked the sauce off my fingers. It just slipped right out of my fingers.”
That could be the most incredible description of a negligent discharge I’ve ever heard. If the gun “slipped out” of Mr. Anders’ hands, it wouldn’t have fired. Unless he tired to catch it . . . The question of why Mr. Anders had a gun in his hand is an excellent one. A responsible gun owner doesn’t handle his gun unnecessarily. And always observes the four safety rules – no matter what. Otherwise, this can happen.