Detroit father charged after 8-year-old son shot 11-year-old brother with unsecured gun on Artesian Street
A Detroit man faces two charges after prosecutors said his 8-year-old son shot his 11-year-old brother in the face with an unsecured gun while three children were left home alone on the city's west side.
Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy announced the charges Saturday against Muammar Markus Wallace, 38, in an Oct. 10 news release. Her office said the shooting happened after Wallace left his three children, ages 4, 8 and 11, at home by themselves with an unsecured firearm.
Detroit police said a neighbor called 911 at 2:19 p.m. Oct. 7 to report a shooting on the 8000 block of Artesian Street. Officers found the 11-year-old lying on the living room floor with a gunshot wound to the face, according to Worthy's office. Medics took him to the hospital.
Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison said Oct. 8 that the boy remained in critical condition. Police confirmed Wallace's arrest the next day.
Worthy's office did not list the exact names of the two counts in the release. One count is tied to Michigan's gun storage law, which imposes criminal penalties when a child injures or kills themselves or someone else with an improperly stored firearm.
Worthy urged gun owners to keep weapons locked away. "Please, please, please safely store your weapons at all times. No exceptions! Our children deserve our constant, unshakable, and total commitment here. Every day, 24/7 without fail," she said in a statement.
The case is among the first prosecutions in Detroit under the state's safe storage requirements since they took effect. A court schedule for Wallace was not listed in the release.
Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund, a group that tracks gun violence, reported in 2025 that firearms were the leading cause of death for children in the United States.
