CHARLOTTE, N.C. — In the past five days, three young children have accidentally shot themselves in Charlotte with an unsecured gun. One of them, a two-year-old named Amor Cureton, died due to his injuries.
“There’s a two-year-old little boy who’s not with us anymore for no good reason,” CMPD Major Ryan Butler said. “No good reason.”
Amor reportedly got hold of his father’s gun in a motel room with multiple adults and family present. Amor’s father, 24-year-old Antonio Thomas Cureton, has been charged involuntary manslaughter and failure to secure a firearm, among other charges.
“People who possess firearms need to understand the extreme level of responsibility required,” Butler said. “I talk to you guys on far too regular occasion saying, ‘This has got to stop,’ and it’s not stopping. And now, another child... another child.”
Just days earlier on Wednesday, 25-year-old Devonte Warren was also charged with failure to secure a firearm after a different two-year-old found his gun and fired it. That child was taken to the hospital with sustaining life-threatening injuries.
“They were able to save the other child, that doesn’t make it ok,” Butler said.
On Sunday, another child was shot, this time a 7-year-old. The child was also taken to the hospital with injuries that are said to be serious, but not life-threatening.
These three incidents prompted CMPD to tweet that said in part: "In just 5 days, two 2-year-olds and a 7-year-old have been shot because a gun was left unsecured.”
“Unless we come together, this is not going to stop,” Butler said.