6-Year-Old Accidentally Shoots His Mother : Violence: Family reunion ends in tragedy as child fires his grandfather’s gun, critically wounding Hyang Ja Jung, 36.

It was supposed to be a joyous occasion, a chance for a mother and her young boy to celebrate his grandfather’s 70th birthday. But something went terribly wrong late Wednesday when the 6-year-old somehow got hold of a small semiautomatic handgun that belonged to his grandfather and accidentally fired it once, critically wounding his 36-year-old mother in the head, police said.

Hyang Ja Jung and her son had arrived in Los Angeles just six days earlier from Korea to celebrate the grandfather’s birthday Thursday in his small Koreatown apartment. Instead, she was near death at USC-County Medical Center, breathing with the help of a respirator, a hospital spokeswoman said Thursday.

Jeung-gap, or the 70th birthday, is one of the most important events in the life of a Korean because, until recently, so few Koreans lived to be that old. Korean families prepare feasts and invite friends and relatives to celebrate.

Jung’s father, Yun Taik Chung, worked as a security guard in the apartment building’s underground parking lot. He had slipped the shiny .22-caliber pistol between his gun belt and pants belt to keep it from the child as he prepared to go to work about 9:45 p.m., detectives said.

Detectives said Thursday that they were unsure whether the boy pulled the gun from the grandfather’s belt or whether it fell to the floor and he grabbed it. It is also possible that Chung may have dozed off as the family watched television, police said, allowing the youngster to grab the weapon. The boy’s name was not released because he is a minor.

“Unbeknownst to the family, the little boy had gotten the gun,” said Lt. Ross Moen, commander of the Wilshire Division homicide detail. “He was playing with the gun when this tragic accident occurred, and the gun went off and struck his mom in the temple.”

Chung, who was licensed to carry a weapon, also was wearing a .38-caliber revolver in a holster that he had unloaded because of the child, Moen said. He said he did not know why the grandfather had not unloaded the small semiautomatic handgun.

The investigation was continuing Thursday and police had yet to determine whether any charges would be filed against the grandfather. Under the Children’s Firearm Accident Protection Act, an adult can receive up to three years in state prison and a $10,000 fine for keeping a loaded weapon that is accessible to a minor.

The shooting was the latest in a tragic string of accidents in Los Angeles involving children who have come across guns. Two weeks ago, a 10-year-old boy committed suicide in front of his South-Central school with his father’s handgun, which he found stashed under a mattress. And in February, a 9-year-old boy who found a rifle in his Watts home fatally shot a 7-year-old girl who was playing inside the residence. No charges were filed in either of those incidents.

Chung’s four-story apartment building is in a high-crime neighborhood in the 500 block of South Ardmore Street. The units are guarded by heavy iron screens. Residents said it was ironic that the shooting occurred inside the apartment, behind the very bars that are designed to protect against violence.

“Oh, God, I can’t believe that. Inside the apartment,” said Sarah Kim, 25, whose 2-year-old son affectionately calls Chung haraboji, which means grandfather in Korean.

“It’s incredible,” added Sang Hyun Lee, a Korean neighbor who lived two doors from Chung. He heard one shot around 10 p.m. Wednesday. Lee said he had moved there a week earlier and hadn’t had a chance to get to know Chung.

Chung and his relatives, who were at his daughter’s bedside Thursday, instructed hospital authorities that they did not wish to speak to reporters.

Neighbors described Chung as a quiet, nice man who normally slept during the day. He worked nightly between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.

As Koreans heard the news over the radio Thursday, many said the Korean community and others should use this tragic incident as a reminder that people should work together to make society safer.

“We must work toward a society in which even security guards don’t have to have guns,” said the Rev. Deuk Won Ahn, pastor of Young Nak Presbyterian Church of Los Angeles.