An eight-year-old boy from Oakland was found dead in his home Tuesday night died from a gunshot wound to the head, according to Maine State Police.
Parker Stevens was handling his father's 12-gauge shotgun inside a closet of his parents’ second floor bedroom when the gun fired. His mother was downstairs with three younger children and did not hear the shot. She reportedly found her son when she went to look for him around 6 p.m.
Detectives say the shotgun had eight shells in its magazine tube, and the 8-year old apparently racked a shell into the chamber before he fired the gun.
The Maine State Police released a statement advising gun owners with children in the home to keep firearms unloaded and out of reach, to separate ammunition from weapons, and to use gun locks. Authorities also say that most police departments offer free trigger locks.
