4-year-old injured after accessing father’s gun inside vehicle in Dacula, Gwinnett County police say
Child taken to hospital after accidental discharge in vehicle
A 4-year-old boy was injured Wednesday morning, February 18, 2026, in Dacula after a firearm discharged inside a vehicle, authorities said. The child was taken to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta for treatment. Police described the injury as non-life-threatening.
Investigators said the boy was inside his father’s vehicle when he accessed a handgun and the weapon fired. Police indicated the child was playing near the vehicle’s console area when he located the gun. The child’s mother confirmed details of the incident to local media, including that the injury involved the boy’s finger.
What is known about where and how it happened
Police placed the incident in Gwinnett County and identified Dacula as the location. Officers responded to a call for help and found the child with a gunshot injury. He was transported for medical care soon after first responders arrived.
Separate reporting described the incident as occurring in a fast-food restaurant parking lot, with the family stopping for breakfast shortly before the shooting. That account said the weapon was a Glock and that it had been stored in a vehicle compartment. Detectives have said they are still working to confirm details surrounding the circumstances of the discharge.
Date: Wednesday, February 18, 2026
Location: Dacula, in Gwinnett County, Georgia
Injury: Gunshot wound to a finger; authorities said the bone was intact
Hospital: Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta
Charges and legal review remain unresolved
As of Thursday, February 19, 2026, police had not announced charges against the child’s father or any other adult. Authorities said the investigation is ongoing and did not provide a timeline for a potential charging decision.
Broader context: children and unsecured firearms in metro Atlanta
The incident adds to a long-running pattern of unintentional shootings involving children in the Atlanta region, including cases in which minors have accessed unsecured guns left in vehicles or homes. In prior metro Atlanta investigations, police and prosecutors have weighed factors such as where the firearm was stored, whether it was secured, and whether an adult’s actions met the threshold for criminal negligence.
Authorities emphasized that detectives are still verifying the sequence of events and the circumstances that allowed the child to access the gun.
Gwinnett County police have not released the child’s identity. The department has asked anyone with information relevant to the investigation to contact law enforcement.