GPD joins Kagman shooting probe

With the 7-year-old victim of a shooting incident in Kagman now in Guam for emergency surgery, that has gotten the Guam Police Department involved in the investigation.

In a recent statement from Department of Public Safety Commissioner Clement Bermudes, he said the Guam Police Department is now involved in the investigation, even as DPS continues with its own probe.

“We’re working with the Guam Police Department because the victim is [in] Guam so we’re coordinating an investigation with them,” he said.

The 7-year-old boy had been playing with the firearm with another child over a week ago in Kagman when he accidentally discharged the gun, hitting himself in the face. The victim was rushed to the Commonwealth Health Center and then had to be medically evacuated to Guam because he needed emergency surgery.

As the investigation into the case is still ongoing, Clement encouraged the community to control the spread of rumors related to the incident. One of those rumors is that the firearm in question was a registered service firearm. A DPS news release merely stated that the firearm was registered.

Bermudes did not deny nor confirm the rumor. Instead, he stated that there was another individual in the home with a registered firearm.

“Let’s control the rumor until we can confirm things because there was another person who had a registered firearm, and the firearm was there too, so we need to confirm those things before we can release the exact details of what happened. The matter is still under investigation. We will release more information once we’ve gotten confirmation. This is all about transparency and the community needs to know what’s happening,” he said.

Meanwhile, Bermudes encourages all with registered firearms to be responsible and to stow them securely when not in use, whether you are a law enforcement officer or not.

“Gun ownership is our right, but more importantly, we should know the responsibilities that come with owning a gun. Similar for law enforcement, but they are held at a higher standard. Secure firearms if they are not in service. If it’s not being used in service, make sure these guns are locked away and secured,” he said.

According to the DPS press release, police responded to the incident in Kagman on May 21, at about 9:55pm.

Preliminary investigation revealed that the child and another minor were playing inside a relative’s home when one of them somehow got hold of the gun. While handling the firearm, one of the children accidentally discharged the weapon. The injured child is currently in stable condition and is expected to recover.