On April 8, in Toms River, N.J., a 4-year-old boy shot and killed his 6-year-old playmate “as their parents stood in the yard nearby,” the police later told CNN. We linked to this story in the Gun Report, and have been keeping an eye on it ever since. Two days later, Atlantic County Prosecutor James McClain announced that his office had taken over the investigation.

Yesterday, nearly three weeks later, I called McClain’s office to find out if any charges have filed. Though the killing of a child by another child is an awful tragedy, and the parents have to be feeling incredible pain and sadness, I find it hard to believe that no wrongdoing took place. Two sets of parents were so negligent they allowed their children to play with a loaded gun, resulting in the killing of one of the children. At a minimum, doesn’t this qualify as reckless endangerment?

When I called the prosecutor’s office, however, I was told the investigation was still open and that McClain could therefore not speak about it. His spokesperson, Haleigh Walz, later sent me a statement reiterating her boss’s “no comment.” “I will retain your contact information and let you know A.S.A.P. should additional information be released to the public,” she wrote. I’m not holding my breath.

As readers of the Gun Report know, negligence by so-called responsible gun owners leads to deaths and injuries every day. It seems to me that the unwillingness of prosecutors like James McClain to bring charges against gun owners whose carelessness caused a child to die is a large part of the reason why that carelessness continues. I plan to address this issue in more depth in an upcoming column.

—Joe Nocera

A woman was shot and killed in front of her young child in Oakland, Calif., Wednesday night. The woman was reported shot at 8:43 p.m. just blocks from Oakland Children’s Hospital. Her 4-year-old son was found unharmed at her side. Two men in a car were witnessed fleeing the scene. It is Oakland’s fourth homicide this week.

—CBS San Francisco

A 10-year-old boy was shot and killed inside his Marengo, Ohio, home Thursday evening. The sheriff says the death is being investigated as an accidental shooting.

—10TV.com

Two men are dead after a shootout in Opa-Locka, Fla., Thursday afternoon. The men began shooting at each other but it’s not clear what prompted this shooting. The gunman is in custody. “It needs to stop,” a sister of one of the shooting victims said.

—CBS Miami

A mother was accidentally shot by her teenage son at their Oakville, Mo., home Thursday evening. The 18-year-old picked up his father’s gun to clean it when it went off, hitting his mother in the leg. She is expected to survive. The victim’s sister-in-law said they are a big gun family.

—KMOV

A shooting at a Livingston, Calif., intersection Thursday evening killed a 25-year-old man and injured 18-year-old man. Police are looking at three men and a woman in connection with the attack.

—ABC30

A 25-year-old man was in critical condition Thursday night after he was shot five times in the East Frankford area of Philadelphia, Pa. The man was on Lesher Street after 5 p.m. when someone opened fire on him. No arrests were made in the shooting.

—Philly.com

35-year-old Brandon Sanchez, a property manager who was trying to collect rent in Escondido, Calif., was shot in the chest and killed by one of his tenants Thursday afternoon. Michael James Hemphill, 55, was arrested on suspicion of murder.

—ABC10 News

Two Washington, Pa., men who were described as longtime friends died in an apparent murder-suicide early Thursday. 30-year-old Nathan Roman was shot just before 2:30 a.m. in front of Hungry Jose’s on South Main Street; his death was ruled a homicide. The body of 31-year-old Michael Marchines was found shot about a block away.

—WTAE

Porterville, Calif., police are investigating a shooting which left a 35-year-old man dead early Thursday morning. Investigators say Refugio Reyes was inside his house when someone fired shots from outside. Detectives say they have some good leads on the suspect. This is Porterville’s second homicide of the year.

—ABC30

A man was shot multiple times and killed in Orange, N.J., Thursday night. The victim, whose identity was withheld pending notification of his family, was attacked shortly after 8 p.m. No suspects have been named.

—NJ.com

A 70-year-old Jersey City Heights, N.J., woman was shot twice in the stomach Thursday afternoon. Four men were in a vehicle when one of them opened fire on someone and the 70-year-old was hit by mistake. Police arrested Malik High, 24; Tyquan Goodwin, 20; and Travis Rivera, 21, after the shooting.

—NJ.com

One person was shot in the head and killed in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., Thursday evening. A group of men were fighting when gunfire erupted. Police said they arrested one man and found a gun on scene.

—WNEP16

A shooting in north Denver, Colo., claimed the life of a man Wednesday night. The victim and the suspect, Daryl Dwayne Thompson, 42, were involved in an argument when Thompson pulled a gun and shot the victim at about 8:40 p.m. Thompson has a lengthy arrest history dating to 1989.

—TheDenverChannel.com

A man was shot in the waist and injured at a home in Huntsville, Ala., Thursday night. An unknown offender drove up to the driveway in a white car and shot the man once before driving away.

—AL.com

According to Slate’s gun-death tracker, an estimated 3,700 people have died as a result of gun violence in America since the Newtown massacre on December 14, 2012.