After Raleigh child's shooting, police warn of gun design

Ty-Rion Henry, a second-grader at Lynn Road Elementary School, died Tuesday after he was accidentally shot in the head at home the previous day.

The boy's grandfather, Daniel Henry, was shooting at squirrels outside and placed his pellet gun at the foot of the stairs when he came back inside, the family said. As Ty-Rion was coming downstairs, Henry checked to make sure the gun's safety latch was on, and he accidentally hit the trigger, shooting the boy.

The pellet went through the boy's eye and lodged in his brain.

Lt. Andy Murr of the Raleigh Police Department said the safety on the pellet gun is immediately in front of the trigger.

Several manufacturers have a similar design, Murr said, and police want to make the public aware of the issue. Other guns have safety latches in different places, he said.

"Take extra care with this type of weapon or with this design," he said. "We want to prevent tragedies like this happening."

Murr said law enforcement would help people dispose of any weapons that they no longer want. For people who own firearms, he said, education is key to safely storing and using them.

After consulting with Wake County prosecutors, police decided not to file any charges in the case.

Ty-Rion's funeral is set for noon March 2 at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Raleigh.