A decade-long analysis of reported accidental shootings involving children 12 and younger ranked Georgia second nationally, with 140 incidents. In 56 of those cases, a child died. Texas had 168 incidents and Florida had 128.
One of the Georgia cases involved 4-year-old Kendall Lewis. DeKalb County police said she accidentally shot herself in 2022 after getting a gun from under a seat. Her mother, Kaelin Lewis, was charged with second-degree murder and cruelty to children and is awaiting trial.
Lewis’s attorney, Jackie Patterson, disputes the murder charge. Court records show that no trial date has been set.
DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston said her office weighs evidence including how a gun was stored and how a child gained access when deciding whether charges are appropriate. Since 2021, her office has handled at least 20 cases involving accidental shootings of children; 10 involved a child’s death.
The analysis counted cases only when law enforcement disclosed the age of the child who fired the gun. It excluded shootings connected to gang violence, hunting, target-shooting accidents or suicides.
Marcus Jones
News Now Georgia
