5-year-old boy shot for second time in two years in Chicago

The child reportedly found a gun while playing at his father's house

A 5-year-old boy in Chicago has undergone emergency surgery after being shot for the second time in two years.

Kavan Collins of Chicago, Illinois accidentally shot himself in the hand while playing with his younger brother in his family home, according to local news reports. He received surgery at Comer Children’s Hospital and was expected to make a full recovery.

But this was not Kavan’s first gunshot wound, nor his first surgery. A year and a half ago, the young boy was hit by a stray bullet while walking with his family in Chicago’s South Side. The bullet struck him in the face and fractured his jaw. He was transported to the same children’s hospital for surgery.

At the time, Kavan’s mother told the Chicago Tribune that the experience had changed her son. Police said the boy was not the intended target of shooters, who fired on the courtyard of a nearby building from a dark-coloured, four-door vehicle. Still, Dantignay Brashear said her son had became convinced he needed a gun for protection.

This week, Ms Brashear found herself speaking to the Tribune again, this time telling them how Kavan had found and unintentionally fired a gun at his father's house. Kavan told his family he was hiding a toy from his younger brother when he found the gun stashed under a mattress.

His father has been charged with being an armed habitual criminal, unlawful use of a weapon, and possession of a firearm with a defaced serial number, according to a police report. All three are felonies. He was also charged with misdemeanour child endangerment.

Much has been made about the rate of gun violence in Chicago. Nearly 3,200 people were shot in the city in the first 10 months of 2017, according to data compiled by the Tribune. Last year, roughly 3,800 people were shot over the same time period. At least 30 people were shot and killed over one weekend in September, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

According to data compiled by non-profit organisation The Trace, however, Chicago is far from the most dangerous city in America. In a study of homicide rates between 2010 and 2015, 16 US cities ranked higher than Chicago. New Orleans, the highest-ranked city on the list, reported more than double the number of homicides that the Windy City reported.