Prosecutor: Eastpointe man charged after son, 3, shoots himself in hand with dad's handgun

An Eastpointe father is facing charges after Macomb County prosecutors said his 3-year-old son shot himself in the hand with his father's handgun.

Demetrius Owens, 27, is charged with second-degree child abuse and safe storage firearm violation, both of which are 10-year felonies, according to a release Monday from the prosecutor's office. It also states he was charged with careless discharge of a firearm causing injury or death and a felony firearm offense, both two-year felonies.

Owens allegedly did not have his handgun properly secured June 15 when his son shot himself. The boy had surgery on his hand, according to the release.

Owens was arraigned Friday in 38th District Court in Eastpointe, where a probable cause conference is scheduled Tuesday and a preliminary exam is set for Wednesday, according to the prosecutor's office and online court records. Owens stood mute and a plea of not guilty was entered by the court, per court records.

He was ordered held on a $50,000 bond and remained in the county jail Monday, according to the jail's online records. If he posts bond and is released, the prosecutor's office stated, Owens must have no firearms; no contact with the crime witness or anyone under age 18, and wear a GPS tether.

No attorney was listed for Owens in court records, with the online record stating his right to an attorney was waived. The records state he was represented by a court-appointed attorney at his arraignment and a petition for a court-appointed attorney was filed.

"This is a reminder that gun owners must be responsible and vigilant in safeguarding their weapons," Prosecutor Peter Lucido stated in his office's release. "We will hold individuals accountable for not securing their firearms to prevent these tragedies in the future."

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In April, Lucido announced charges against Theo Nichols, 56, the first person in Macomb County charged under Michigan's new safe storage law. His 8-year-old son accidentally shot himself in the face with his father's unlocked and loaded gun, authorities said.

In May, Lucido's office stated in a release that Nichols was bound over for trial on five counts to the county's circuit court. Nichols' son survived, it stated. A pretrial conference is set for July 22, per online court records.

A Flint man is believed to be the first person in Michigan charged with violating the law after his 2-year-old daughter was shot in the head on Valentine's Day — the day after the law took effect.

That was according to Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton and state Sen. Kristen McDonald Rivet, D-Bay City, who introduced the legislation, during a news conference in February. They announced Michael Tolbert, then 44, was facing nine charges, including first-degree child abuse, lying to a police officer about a violent crime investigation as well as firearms-safe storage violations and felony firearm offenses. The girl was recovering.

Contact Christina Hall: chall@freepress.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @challreporter.

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