LINCOLN, Ala. — Authorities say a three-year-old child accidentally shot and killed their father early Monday in a tragedy highlighting Alabama’s persistently high rate of gun violence and the dangers associated with easy firearm access in American homes.
Lincoln Police Chief Scott Bonner confirmed officers responded to a home on Taryn Trace around 6:50 a.m. Monday, where Gary Wayne Curry Jr., 37, was found unresponsive and pronounced dead by the Talladega County Deputy Coroner. Investigators believe the toddler fired the fatal shot; officials are still determining whether the child was playing with the gun or if it was dropped and accidentally discharged. No charges will be filed due to the child’s age, police said. The incident remains under investigation, with an autopsy pending.
No other injuries were reported. Lincoln police, the Talladega County District Attorney’s Office, Coroner’s Office, and forensic teams are involved in the ongoing inquiry. Bonner expressed sympathy for the family and especially the young child, calling the shooting accidental and noting questions remain about how the firearm was accessed.
This shooting brings renewed attention to Alabama’s gun violence problem. Recent data show Alabama has the fifth-highest rate of gun violence in the nation, with 213.6 shooting incidents per 100,000 residents—83 percent higher than the national average—over the last decade. Gun deaths in Alabama increased by more than 50% since 2014, and firearms remain the leading cause of death among the state’s young people.
Alabama lawmakers have faced pressure to address gun safety but have largely avoided new restrictions. In 2025, legislators passed a narrow bipartisan ban on conversion devices that turn pistols into fully automatic weapons, but broader reforms—like renewing permit requirements for concealed carry or mandating secure gun storage—have been blocked in the Republican-dominated Statehouse despite growing calls from Democratic legislators and public safety advocates.
Advocates say Monday’s tragedy illustrates the urgent need for stronger state and federal gun safety laws, stressing that even toddlers are at risk when firearms are easily accessible. In Alabama, gun violence remains a key factor in the state’s ranking as one of the most dangerous for children—evidence that, for many families, the risks are not abstract statistics but devastating, immediate realities.