In a week, two Ozarks kids died in accidental shootings

Show Caption Hide Caption Children and fatal shootings Children under age 12 die from gun accidents in the United States about once a week, on average. Almost every death begins with the same basic circumstances: an unsecured and loaded gun, a guardian’s lapse in attention.

Anthony Latorre Jr. woke up in the middle of the night.

With his parents and brothers sleeping, the 3-year-old grabbed the car keys off the dresser and walked out to the garage.

The Monett boy opened the garage door, climbed into the family car, pulled a loaded gun out of the center console and fatally shot himself in the head.

Anthony's family woke up to a nightmare on June 26.

Less than a week later, 5-year-old Timothy Deatherage died from an accidental gunshot in Hartville, prompting law enforcement in the Ozarks to urge citizens to secure their firearms.

"You should never underestimate children, no matter how young they are, as to what they're capable of," said George Daoud, Monett police chief.

Cassandra Crifasi, assistant professor at Johns Hopkins University, called the number of unsecured guns in the United States a "public health emergency."

Crifasi led a survey of 1,400 gun owners in 2016 that found more than half didn't practice safe storage — which is defined as storing guns in a locked gun safe, cabinet or case, locked into a gun rack or stored with a trigger lock.

Crifasi said guns that are not secured represent potential risks for homicides, suicides or accidental shootings — and there's also a greater likelihood of them being stolen in a burglary.

There has been a shift in gun ownership, Crifasi said. Decades ago, most gun owners were hunters who had been around firearms their whole lives. Now, there has been an increase in people who aren't as experienced with firearms buying guns solely for home defense purposes.

MORE:Preschool-age child killed by gunshot in Monett was accident

"There's a misconception that if you store your guns safely you won't be able to access them if you need them," Crifasi said.

Crifasi said she keeps her handgun stored in a safe next to her bed which she can access in 3 seconds.

Crifasi said education is the key to getting more people to store their guns safely, and law enforcement agencies are seen as the best messengers.

Becki Ennis-Palacios is the aunt of Timothy Deatherage, the boy killed in Hartville. She said she has made it her mission to advocate for safe gun storage.

"He had a bright light that was dimmed too early," Ennis-Palacios said. "I hope that the tragedy of his death can open the eyes of others and hopefully make changes."

Ennis-Palacios said Timothy was a loving boy who had an obsession with ChapStick and enjoyed playing outside, riding his bike and learning about dinosaurs.

Investigators say Timothy and his siblings, age 7 and 3, were left home alone on July 2 with two loaded guns out in the open.

Ennis-Palacios said she's been told one of Timothy's siblings got hold of one of the unsecured guns and accidentally shot Timothy.

Timothy's mother, Bobbie Jo Scott, and her boyfriend, Cory Gass, have been charged with a version of endangering the welfare of a child that carries a possible life sentence.

Prosecutors believe the couple's conduct was criminally negligent.

In Monett, officials say they reviewed the facts of the case and determined criminal charges will not be filed in connection with Anthony Latorre's death.

A USA Today investigation from 2017 found that children under the age of 12 die from gun accidents in the United States about once a week, on average.

While the evidence seems to be quite different in the two Ozarks cases, the USA Today investigation found that nearly identical cases often result in different decisions from prosecutors about whether or not to file charges.

Some states have safe storage laws that require guns to be stored locked and unloaded when any person prohibited from possessing a gun is present. Missouri does not have such a law.

Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker said in a social media post Monday that not having a safe storage law makes it difficult to file charges in accidental shooting cases involving children.

Baker said, however, that her office has filed charges of child endangerment or involuntary manslaughter "when appropriate."

Prosecutors, who are elected officials in Missouri, also must strike a difficult balance between establishing justice and not unnecessarily punishing grieving parents.

Law enforcement agencies in the Ozarks, meanwhile, say they are focused on education and prevention.

In Monett, the police department provides free gun locks to citizens and conducts "Eddie Eagle" safety classes to teach children in first through third grades about gun safety.

Chief Daoud said the department is considering gearing those classes to children who are even younger in light of 3-year-old Anthony Latorre's death.

"Obviously there is a need," Daoud said.

MORE:6-year-old boy accidentally shoots 7-year-old sister in Greene County