US: Following a fatal family shooting, police detain a nine-year-old child

A nine-year-old youngster has been taken into custody by US police in connection with the death of a family member who was shot in the head, authorities said on Tuesday.

On Friday night, emergency personnel hurried to Tooele, in the midwestern state of Utah, where they discovered a severely injured 32-year-old male. “It seemed like he had a gunshot wound to the head,” Tooele City Police Department Officer Colbey Bentley said.

After being taken to a hospital in neighboring Salt Lake City, the man—who has not been named—passed away from his wounds. “A nine-year-old who is a family member of the 32-year-old male was arrested as a result of the investigation,” Bentley told AFP. The youngster, who is likewise unidentified, was taken into custody at some point on Friday night.

“We’re investigating the possibility of a homicide charge,” Bentley said. In the US, where there are more weapons than people, firearms take tens of thousands of lives annually. Despite the fact that most Americans want tougher gun laws, the political elite in Washington is still firmly controlled by the gun lobby.