Two kids shot when 7-year-old finds stolen gun in relative’s bag, Georgia cops say
A 7-year-old accidentally shot themselves and another child after finding a handgun that turned out to be stolen, Georgia police told news outlets. Now, a family member has been charged.
Ahmad McGirt, 20, faces two counts of second-degree child cruelty and theft by receiving stolen property in the July 16 incident, WXIA reported, citing the Stone Mountain Police Department.
Authorities didn’t disclose McGirt’s relationship to the victims, but WXIA reported that the kids are his nephews.
The shooting happened at about 12:20 p.m. at a home in Stone Mountain, where authorities said the 7-year-old got ahold of a firearm stored in a relative’s backpack, police said in a new release.
The gun discharged and the 7-year-old was shot in the leg, authorities said. The bullet also grazed a 3-year-old who was in the room.
Both suffered non-life-threatening injuries and are expected to be OK, according to police.
Investigators learned the gun was reported stolen and was linked to an armed robbery, police said Authorities didn’t say when the robbery occurred, however.
“Mr. McGirt would just like to recognize how serious what happened is and how lucky we all our that nothing more serious happened to the two children,” his defense attorney said at a July 17 hearing, WXIA reported. “It was a complete horrible accident, but he does have a lot of remorse for it.”
Stone Mountain is about a 20-mile drive northeast from downtown Atlanta.
This story was originally published July 18, 2025 at 1:21 PM with the headline "Two kids shot when 7-year-old finds stolen gun in relative’s bag, Georgia cops say."