Death of 1-year-old from unsecured gun 'preventable.' Nineteen-year-old charged.
SOUTH BEND — One-year-old Kylin Brooks and his 2-year-old cousin came across a handgun Tuesday afternoon that police say was left under a pillow — loaded — on the floor of a bedroom in a home on Amhurst Avenue.
That handgun is believed to have been the weapon that killed Kylin, and the St. Joseph County Prosecutor Ken Cotter and South Bend Police Chief Scott Ruszkowski said this is the 16th victim since 2020 where children have gotten hold of unsecured firearms and have injured themselves. It's the fifth child death in that time period, and both are angry over what they say are preventable deaths.
"We keep having these, and they make no sense," Ruszkowski said as he held a gun lock the South Bend Police Department hands out free of charge to people who ask for them. "Ken (Cotter) said that this could have been avoided, and he's absolutely right. Not only could have it been avoided, but it should have been avoided."
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Cotter said he is a firm believer in the right for people to have and carry firearms according to the law. "So just that it is a law that you have a right to bear that arm, you also have that responsibility — particularly with children — to keep that safe."
The owner of the gun has been arrested and charged in connection with the case.
Joseph Troupe, 19, is being held in the St. Joseph County Jail on felony charges of neglect of a dependent resulting in death, reckless homicide and two counts of neglect of a dependent. Troupe is scheduled for his initial appearance Thursday in St. Joseph County Superior Court.
Officers were called to a home in the 800 block of Amhurst Avenue at about 12:40 p.m. Tuesday on reports of a shooting and found Kylin with a gunshot wound to his head. He was taken to the hospital and died Wednesday morning.
Investigators said in charging documents that Kylin's mother, Savannah Brooks, was with Kylin's cousins, a 2-year-old girl and 1-year-old boy, in the Amhurst home when police arrived. She told police she and Troupe were sharing child care duties for the past several days, watching Brooks' boy, Kylin, and Troupe's two children in her home.
Troupe reportedly told investigators he had slept over at the Amhurst home the night before the shooting with his two children, and he had placed a semiautomatic gun under his pillow on the floor. Police said Troupe told them he had left a round in the chamber, and he apparently forgot it was under his pillow when he awoke Tuesday morning.
According to charging documents, Troupe said one of his sons and Kylin were playing in the bedroom while he, Savanah and the two toddlers were in the living room when they heard a gunshot. Troupe reportedly told investigators he ran to the bedroom and saw his son standing near the door while Kylin was injured with an apparent gunshot wound on the floor.
Savannah Brooks told police Troupe drove away from the home in her car. Police said in charging documents that they found Troupe a short time after the shooting at his Cushing Street home.
Investigators said in court documents that Troupe grabbed the handgun from the bedroom and left in Savannah Brooks' vehicle. He allegedly hid the gun in a couch in the back yard of his Cushing Street home before he was detained by police.
A call for gun safety
Ruszkowski lamented when he sees irresponsible gun ownership that he says leads to potential tragedy.
"We have some great people, law-abiding citizens, we still have people coming in and getting permits, asking where we can get some training on safety for each individual and how we can do that for the family," Ruszkowski said. "But in most cases, that's not happening. It's the $50 or $100 deal: 'I'm going to carry it with me and we'll just see what happens.' Well, we already know what happens."
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Cotter said that according to the law, Troupe legally was allowed to carry a handgun.
But the prosecutor said securing firearms from the hands of children and others is an essential way to keep them safe.
"There's a variety of different ways to keep your weapons safe," Cotter said. "Far be it for me to tell you how to do that. But, gosh darn it, you need to do it."
Email Tribune staff writer Greg Swiercz at gswiercz@sbtinfo.com.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Shooting kills 1-year-old child on Amhurst Avenue in South Bend
