Police say an 11-year-old is recovering from his gunshot wound

An 11-year-old is recovering after police say he was shot in West Palm Beach Monday afternoon. The shooting happened on Divison Avenue and officials said there were nine children in the home at the time of the incident – without adult supervision.

On Wednesday, the West Palm Beach Police Department released 911 calls from the victim’s brother asking dispatchers for help.

“Someone was playing with a gun and got grazed,” the caller said.

The dispatcher asked if the victim was still breathing, to which the brother replied, “He’s fine.” He’s just bleeding. He was grazed, nothing serious, he just needs an ambulance please.”

The dispatcher sounded surprised when he learned the victim was only 11 years old.

WPTV reporter Kayla McDermott went door to door and spoke to neighbors about the incident.

Neighbors were surprised to learn that a 12-year-old had brought home two guns to sell to two other boys. WPBPD said the child who fired the gun was not one of those three boys.

Residents could not understand how the child managed to get the weapons and, above all, how he was alone with the weapons.

“The moral of this story is: children and guns; a dangerous combination,” said West Palm Beach Public Information Officer Mike Jachles.

Unfortunately, this combination has been on the rise in Florida lately. There have been 19 accidental shootings of children statewide this year, resulting in eight deaths, according to statistics from Everytown Research and Policy, an organization that works to reduce gun violence.

There were 200 accidental child-related shootings across the country, leaving 74 dead and 128 injured, including the shooting of an 11-year-old on Division Avenue.

According to police, the 12-year-old is the only one currently facing charges. He is accused of two counts of possession of a concealed weapon. The case is presented to the prosecutor.

Scripps Only content 2024