4-year-old Durham boy dead after accidentally shooting himself with unsecured gun
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Durham police reported a 4-year-old died from an accidental self-inflicted shot.
- CDC data show most unintentional child gun deaths involve unsecured firearms at home.
- Firearms in child fatality cases were often stored loaded, unlocked and near beds.
A 4-year-old boy died Monday night after accidentally shooting himself with an unsecured gun, Durham police said.
It happened shortly after 9 p.m. at a home in the 800 block of North Briggs Avenue near Holloway Street, which is east of downtown.
Police responding to a shooting found the child, who was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead, according to a news release.
Investigators think this was an accidental shooting and that the boy, identified by relatives as Kamarii Patterson, shot himself with an unsecured firearm inside the home.
“This is an active investigation and further details will be released when they become available,” the release stated.
On Tuesday, Kamari’s family and friends held a balloon release for him in East Durham.
“My grandbaby was loving, and I’m going to miss him so much. I’m going to miss him,” Tina McLean, Kamarii’s great-grandmother, told ABC11, The News & Observer’s newsgathering partner.
McLean said she’ll remember Kamarii’s loving, happy energy and his love of toys.
Kamarii’s mother, Tiera, attended the balloon release, occasionally having to be held up by loved ones in her grief, ABC11 reported.
Children and accidental shooting deaths
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says there were 1,262 unintentional firearm injury deaths among children 17 years old or younger between 2003 and 2021.
Thirty-three percent of the deaths were among children ages 11–15 years, followed by 29% among those up to 5 years, 24% among those ages 16–17 years, and 14% among persons ages 6–10 years.
Overall, 83% of unintentional firearm injury deaths occurred among boys, and just over half occurred in the child’s own home, according to the National Violent Death Reporting System.
“Overall, firearms used in unintentional injury deaths were often stored loaded (74%) and unlocked (76%) and were most commonly accessed from nightstands and other sleeping areas (30%),” the CDC reported.
Anyone with any information about Monday’s shooting is asked to call Investigator D. Johnson at 919-560-4415 ext. 29541.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
This story was originally published June 24, 2025 at 8:13 AM.