Police say a 6-year-old boy fired a loaded gun he discovered in a showroom couch at an Indiana IKEA store
A 6-year-old boy fired a loaded gun he found in a couch at an Indiana IKEA.
A 6-year-old boy found a loaded gun inside the cushions of a couch for sale at an Indiana IKEA and fired it in the store, authorities said today.
No one was injured by the accidental discharge, according to Fisher, Indiana police sergeant Tom Weger.
Weger told ABC News in an email that police responded to the store on June 25 and determined that a customer, who was not immediately identified by authorities, sat down on the couch, and when he got up he failed to realize his gun had slipped between the couch cushions.
“According to...statements and evidence located at the scene, it appears the owner of the gun was sitting on a couch, inside the store, and when he stood up [he] unintentionally dropped his gun into a couch,” Weger said in the email. “He walked away unknowingly leaving the gun behind.”
A short time later two 6-year-old boys climbed onto the couch and discovered the loaded weapon, Weger said.
“One of the boys handled the gun, causing it to accidentally discharge one time,” he said.
A spokesperson for IKEA said in a statement that the chain store has a no weapons policy in all of its outlets, and it regards safety and security of its customers and co-workers as the company’s top priority.
It remains unclear whether the gun owner had a permit for the weapon, authorities said.
“IKEA USA has offered the family of the child involved their sincerest apologies and are cooperating with local police as they investigate this incident,” the spokesperson said in the statement.
Law enforcement officials interviewed the gun owner, the child’s guardian and bystanders, and referred the incident to the Hamilton County Prosecuting Attorney's office for review, Weger said.
The case remains and active investigation, and it will be up to the prosecutor's office to "decide, what if any criminal charges are appropriate," Weger said.
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