D.C. Girl, 5, in Critical Condition After Being Shot by Her 3-Year-Old Brother, Babysitter Arrested

A 5-year-old girl in Washington, D.C., is fighting for her life after being shot by her 3-year-old brother with an unsecured gun.

Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela A. Smith shared in a press conference hours after the Monday, Dec. 16 incident that the 5-year-old received a gunshot wound to the upper body after “a younger child accessed a firearm that was unsecured in the apartment.”

A police report obtained by PEOPLE shows that the child was shot in the chest while in the living room of the residence.

The girl was immediately rendered aid after officers arrived but was later taken to the hospital in serious condition, where she remains hospitalized for treatment of “critical injuries,” a Tuesday, Dec. 17 press release states. The child was not named in the release.

Smith said an adult male “tasked with providing support or care for the children” was present at the home during the incident while their mother was running errands. She described the man as a “friend of the family that the family has known for quite some time.”

The man, later identified as 59-year-old Darrell Graham, was arrested at the scene and charged with First Degree Cruelty to Children, per the press release.

After police executed a search warrant on the home, they recovered the ammunition and firearm used in the shooting, which was determined to be a ghost gun.

Per United Against Gun Violence, ghost guns are “unserialized (and therefore untraceable) firearms that are put together by components purchased either as a kit or as separate pieces” but are “fully functioning guns.”

The discovery led 21-year-old D’Jaunae McCrory Jackson, believed to be the victim’s sister, to also be charged with First Degree Cruelty to Children, Criminally Negligent Storage Of A Firearm, Prohibited Possession of Certain Dangerous Weapons, Possession Of A Large Capacity Ammunition Feeding Device, Possession Of Unregistered Ammunition and Possession Of Unregistered Firearm/Unlawful Possession of A Firearm or Destructive Device.

The charges came after McCrory Jackson was placed under arrest and charged with Assault on a Police Officer (Simple Assault). Police claim she assaulted MPD officers and special police officers who responded to the shooting.

“What I want to emphasize tonight is that this incident really highlights the danger of unsecured firearms in homes and especially around children,” said Smith during Monday’s press conference.

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“We want to emphasize the importance of firearm safety and we are asking everyone to keep our young female victim in your prayers at this time,” she added.

For more information on safe firearm storage and the most effective ways to protect children from unsecured firearms, visit BeSMARTforkids.org.