A Guilford family is calling for change after their teenage son was killed in what police are calling an accidental shooting.
Guilford police have finished the investigation into the death of 15-year-old Ethan Song that ended with the arrest of a juvenile who was charged with second-degree manslaughter.
Because of the suspect’s age, very little information is being released.
A report the Waterbury State's Attorney's office released last week says its investigation determined Song accidentally shot himself in the head with a .357 magnum handgun and called the death a “horrific and preventable tragedy.”
In January, police said Song was with another teen and no adults were home on Seaside Avenue at the time of the shooting.
Song’s family and others hope to prevent something like this tragedy from happening again.
“We can’t bring Ethan back. This was a great tragedy, but we can make sure other children aren’t lost to gun violence in the state of Connecticut,” State Rep. Sean Scanlon, D – 98th District said.
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Scanlon is working with the Song family to try to find a way to toughen Connecticut’s gun laws.
In a video posted on social media last week, Ethan’s father, Mike, blasted the decision not to prosecute the gun owner.
“It’s time that when someone is reckless, negligent, when someone endangers children that they be held accountable,” Song said.
The Waterbury State’s Attorney’s Office report revealed the gun had been stored with other guns in a cardboard box inside Tupperware in the master bedroom closet.
There were gun locks and no signs the firearms were loaded, but investigators discovered the keys and ammunition were also hidden in the closet.
In the end, the report concluded the storage of the weapons did not break the law and it’s led some to believe the law has a loophole that needs to be closed.
“We can reduce gun violence in the state of Connecticut. And one of the ways I think we can really do that is to make sure every single gun in the state of Connecticut is properly stored, whether it’s loaded or unloaded,” Scanlon said.
The Song family has started a foundation to honor Ethan and the next step is turning their loss into political action.
“I’m going to tell you one thing -- I’m going to see this through. We’re going to achieve something for Ethan that’s really going to be a miracle,” Mike Song said.
The family plans to hold a news conference Tuesday.
Police added the juvenile who was arrested on Monday also faces a reckless endangerment charge for an event before Song’s death.
