A 2-year-old North Carolina toddler accidentally shot himself after finding his father’s loaded gun in his pickup truck
- Warren Bennett Oser, 2, accidentally shot himself in the head and killed himself October 15 after finding his father’s loaded gun in his pickup truck
- Prosecutors say he climbed into his father’s truck through an open door, where he found the .40-caliber handgun in the front seat
- He then started toying with the gun as he fatally shot himself
- The boy’s father, Tyler Oser, is now charged with failing to properly and securely secure his firearms to protect minors
A toddler in North Carolina tragically died last month after finding his father’s loaded handgun in his pickup truck and accidentally shooting himself in the head.
Police found two-year-old Warren Bennett Oser with a gunshot wound to the head after responding to reports of a shooting at a home in Benson just before 6pm on October 15.
Prosecutors say the boy climbed into his father’s pickup truck through an open door, where he found the loaded Smith & Wesson .40 caliber handgun in the front seat.
He then started playing with the gun and accidentally shot himself in the head.
Both of the boy’s parents were home at the time, prosecutors say, and he was immediately rushed to Johnson Medical Center Clayton, where he was pronounced dead.
The boy’s father, Tyler Oser, now faces charges of failing to properly and securely secure his firearms to protect a minor, the Johnston County District Attorney’s Office said Monday.
Warren Bennett Oser, 2, died from a gunshot wound to the head after accidentally shooting himself on October 15
The family described Warren – who they nicknamed Bennett – as a “free spirit with a wild soul that always kept us on our toes.”
The boy’s father, Tyler Oser, is now charged with failing to properly and securely secure his firearms to protect minors. They are pictured here with the boy’s mother, Emily
“My heart goes out to the parents who are grieving the loss of their son,” District Attorney Susan Doyle said in a statement.
However, she added: “These tragedies are 100 percent preventable by keeping all guns away from underage children, as required by law.
“This isn’t about legal gun ownership,” noted Doyle. “This is about the responsibility of gun owners to protect minors by keeping guns safely away from children.”
After the shooting, family members gathered at the Osers Benson home to support parents Emily and Tyler.
“We need to raise money for a funeral that we never expected for a 2-year-old,” a family member told WRAL News.
Meanwhile, a GoFundMe set up to support parents has raised over $22,000 for the grieving family.
Prosecutors say the boy climbed into the pickup truck through an open door and found the .40-caliber handgun in the front seat
The toddler was only 2 years old when he fatally shot himself. In an obituary, his family wrote, “Though his life was short, his spirit and memory live on in his family and friends.”
In an obituary posted online, the toddler’s family remembered Warren – who they nicknamed Bennett – for all his favorite things like “help Dada with work.”
In it, the toddler was described as “a free spirit with a wild soul who always kept us on our toes.
“Bennett was a happy kid who loved everyone in his life very much,” it said. “Every single day he would go through his list of favorite people to visit.”
“Although his life was short, his spirit and memory live on in his family and friends.”