GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A 54-year-old Grand Rapids man is facing charges after a teenager got ahold of a firearm in a home and shot themselves.
The shooting incident happened at a home near Sherman Street SE and Benjamin Avenue SE around 7:40 a.m. Tuesday.
Grand Rapids Police believe it was an accident. According to court documents obtained by 13 ON YOUR SIDE, the 15-year-old suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the shoulder.
Officers clearing the home noted multiple unsecured firearms. Additional firearms, cocaine and fentanyl were later found in the home during a search, according to court documents.
Kent County Prosecutor Christopher Becker announced Wednesday he's filed charges against homeowner Melvin Tommy-Shawn-Kelly House.
House said the firearm used by the teen belonged to him and that he had left it in an unsecured drawer.
House faces one count of safe storage violation causing injury. That's a felony punishable by a maximum of five years and/or a fine of not more than $5,000.
House was also charged with possession of a controlled substance and possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance. Both are felonies.
Under Michigan's new safe storage law, the law requires gun owners to keep unattended weapons unloaded and locked in a locked box or container if it is reasonably known that a minor is likely to be present on the premises.
