Three-Year-Old Girl Shot Herself After Mistaking Gun for Wii Gun

by Amy Judd | March 9, 2010 at 08:25 pm

6039 views | 8 Recommendations | 14 comments

Cheyenne Alexis McKeehan, Three Years Old, Shot Herself After Mistaking Loaded Gun For Wii Gun Controller

A three-year-old girl accidentally shot and killed herself with a loaded .380 calibre pistol after police say she mistook it for Wii shaped gun controller. The Telegraph has a photo the Wii controller beside the gun.

It was her stepfather's gun, lying on the table, in the family's living room, and police think that she picked it up after wanting to play with the Wii. Her stepfather, Douglas Cronberger is the gun's owner and he had left it on the table after going outside the night before to investigate what he thought was someone on his property. He had gone to bed, but Cheyenne's mother and her baby brother were nearby.

It is not known at this point if any charges will be filed in the case, but Terry Ashe the sheriff of Wilson County in Norene Tennessee, when comparing the items stated:

"You can see by the comparison of the toy weapon and the real weapon that there's little chance a three-year-old would differentiate between the two.

He said it could be a warning for parents to properly store and lock up their firearms as accidents can happen at any time. Game console devices are made to look very similar to real items and young children cannot tell the difference between the two in some case. As the picture demonstrates, the Wii controller looks very similar to a real gun and tragic accidents like this need to be avoided. It could also be a warning for game console companies to not focus so much on realism in their devices.

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jan phaiz (not verified)

at 21:15 on March 9th, 2010

letting a 3year-old-girl playing (even just a game) with such a gun controller isn't appropriate though.. even to tell the baby what a gun looks like is ridiculous.. what's the point then?? just let them play with a doll or else.. family control is of course the most important here.. fiuhh.. so tragic..

Uwe Paschen

at 03:09 on March 10th, 2010

This is hard to believe, aside from being really stupid and careless to leave a loaded gun laying around. It does take some force to pull the trigger and I doubt a 3 year old has the strength.

Guns should be outlawed!

Jordan (not verified)

at 07:29 on March 12th, 2010

I agree that it is stupid and careless to leave a weapon loaded or unloaded lying around but when you say you doubt a 3 year old has the strength to pull a trigger with an unknown amount of trigger pull, I have to disagree. I wouldn't doubt this feat of strength because it obviously happened. She's dead now. Read the article and understand it this time. Also guns being outlawed would only mean criminals would have guns. I assume criminals don't go to Jack's pawn shop and fill out a FBI background check card and wait three days to get their guns.

melb (not verified)

at 19:06 on March 10th, 2010

Only in America....

Peter from Oz (not verified)

at 22:07 on March 10th, 2010

Spot on - Only in America! How stupid do you have to be to leave a loaded hand gun where kids can get to it. This drongo should be locked up for man-slaughter at the very least. This is yet another reason for gun control in an out of control country.

Marshall Hugo (not verified)

at 08:02 on March 11th, 2010

This is certainly criminal negligence on the part of the 'stepfather'. I cannot imagine leaving a loaded .38 caliber weapon (more than enough to kill with one shot where a child could possible get it. I would also add that it is unlikely that the child's actual father would have been so careless. This case reminds me of the recent stepfather in Florida who kept a boa constrictor in a broken cage in the house with a baby. The snake repeatedly got loose and the stepfather was indifferent, resulting in the baby being killed in the night (about 4 months ago).

Jordan (not verified)

at 07:25 on March 12th, 2010

How could you possibly know that the childs actual/biological father would not have made the same mistake. For all anyone knows, the mother might be into the ignorant 'type' of man.

Marshall Hugo (not verified)

at 09:05 on March 13th, 2010

True, Jordan, I cannot speak to whether the father would have been any less careless. But most people I'm sure would agree that when mothers remarry, their new mates simply do not have the natural drive to care as deeply about her children as she does or as much as most natural fathers do. I would imagine a statistical studies, if onel could be designed, would likely bear this out. I'm sorry, but I am a father (married, not divorced) - and I simply cannot possibly imagine leaving a loaded weapon on the kitchen table with small children around. This is not an act of simple carelessness, this stepfather definately was fully aware the child could pick up the gun. Anyone with small childen know that the odds of an interesting object like that being picked up are at least 50%. As a father, in my mind there is no question that this is criminal negligence.

Jordan (not verified)

at 07:23 on March 12th, 2010

When did people stop taking responsibility for their own actions. The writer of this article should try and see that gaming companies making items to look like a gun aren't doing it to confuse children. They are trying to add value to their customers gaming experience. The parent should have used proper gun safety. He and his wife are at fault, not game makers. Also if to the person that declared "Guns should be outlawed!", you should know that if all guns were outlawed only criminals would have them. I don't know about you but I would really like to have a sporting chance against someone trying to kill me.

Nicole* (not verified)

at 19:13 on March 12th, 2010

I think it's stupid that the U.S.A has laws on guns!! It should be banned! There are innocent people getting killed everyday! It's not right!

ps hi (not verified)

at 03:41 on March 14th, 2010

Jordan, of course guns should not be outlawed but the current situation in the US is utterly stupid and obviously not working; it breeds paranoia and makes people take up arms unnecessarily. With tighter gun control laws this may not have happened.Just look at the statistics; other first world countries have no where near as bad gun crime rates and it's easy to see why...

Drongo McCoy (not verified)

at 13:34 on March 19th, 2010

st00pid f*&^%$g Drongo!!

Ridiculous Excuse (not verified)

at 19:03 on April 6th, 2010

My issue with this article is that the writer is diminishing the responsibility of the adults by putting part of the blame on the game companies. That is not right! We don't have any of those games in our house, but don't you think that if we left a loaded gun on a table within reach of a three-year-old that they wouldn't pick it up and play with it? Unfortunately, it happens too frequently. It has NOTHING to do with the fact that the child has played with a plastic Wii gun or not. It is a lame excuse by two adults trying to dig themselves out of the massive hole they just got themselves into. It would be interesting to know how the step-father would have felt if it had been HIM the baby shot and he wound up paralyzed! Take responsibility for your own actions, people! YOU are 100% responsible for that baby's death, NOT Wii!

konnie star wilson (not verified)

at 10:49 on May 14th, 2010

THIS IS A CHAME........ WHY WOULD ANYBODY EVER HAVE A LOADED GUN IN REACH OR EVEN IN THE SAME PLACE WERE A BABY CAN REACH IT........YOU KNOW,,,,,, THIS WORLD IS GETN SICKER ND SICKERR..........R.I.P..........(GOD PLEASE HELP THIS WORLD) MY NAME IS KONNIE WILSON............ND IMMM OUT