Philly man arrested for leaving unsecured gun in a house where a 7-year-old used it to unintentionally shoot and kill herself, police say

A Philadelphia man who police say failed to secure a gun that a 7-year-old girl picked up and used to fatally shoot herself unintentionally on Sunday in Juniata Park was charged Monday with involuntary manslaughter and related crimes.

Alan Nguyen, 24, was arrested Sunday night after the child, later identified by police as Mia Andujar, found a gun he had put away in a dresser at the child’s home, where he had been staying as a guest, and accidentally shot herself in the face Sunday afternoon, said Police Deputy Commissioner Frank Vanore.

Police responded to a call of a shooting at a home on the 3800 block of I Street around 2:27 p.m. When officers arrived, they found Mia suffering from a gunshot wound to the face, police said. She had been shot in the right eye, said Vanore.

She was taken to St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children and pronounced dead at 2:39 p.m., police said.

Investigators learned Nguyen was a friend of the child’s family and had been staying in their home, said Vanore. Nguyen put his 9mm in a dresser drawer, and Mia was later playing in that room, where she found the gun and unintentionally shot herself, he said. Police said a two-year-old child was also in the room at the time.

Nguyen legally owned the gun, said Vanore. Police continue to investigate.

Experts have said unintentional shootings of children can be prevented if gun owners keep their weapons stored safely and securely inside their homes. Research has shown that children as young as 2 years old are strong enough to pull the trigger, and that most know where a parent stores their weapons.