Thursday, December 06, 2007

Brunswick Man Dies After Toddler Grabs Gun


A 22-year-old man died after he was shot in the head in a Brunswick recording studio Tuesday night, and police said the shot was fired when a 35-month-old picked up a gun.

According to the Brunswick Police Department, Curtis Gabriel Collins was shot about 8:30 p.m. in the 2400 block of Stonewall Street. He was rushed to a hospital, where doctors said he could not be revived.

Investigators said Collins was shot when a child grabbed a loaded gun on a table. The gun went off, hitting Collins as he sat on a nearby sofa.Although authorities have called the shooting accidental, Collins' family said something about their loved one's death doesn't seem right.

Collins' family said the 22-year-old was doing what he loved when he died. They said he was working on a CD at a recording studio, trying to make it in the music industry.

"He was good-hearted person. He liked to make people laugh. He loved to sing and dance," said Valas Thorpe, Collins' fiancé, who is due to give birth to their child in February.

Brunswick Police Chief Edna Johnson said the gun found by the hands of a curious toddler did not belong to Collins.

"Obviously, someone wasn’t watching and the child was able to play with the gun and the gun discharged," Johnson said.

She had a strong message for people in her city who have guns and children.

"We recommend to every resident, make sure that you have your guns and loaded weapons in a locked, secure place that's away from any child. When we do that, we have a more secure home and secure environment," said Johnson.

"I can't see how a 2-year-old could pull the trigger," Thorpe said.

She said her fiancé's shooting death makes no sense and that she has a lot of unanswered questions.

Collins' family members said they do not know the toddler involved, but said they believe the child was the son of a friend.

The case -- the 16th homicide of 2007 in Brunswick -- remains under investigation by police.

3 comments:

♥TonyaJean♥ said...

This is very interesting! I would of never thought of something like this happening. It's just strange what people and children learn now a days.

Zach said...

Simple, don't put your baby down by a gun, is it really that hard?

Fujiwara (Jamie) said...

ZACK!