1 gun. 1 distraction. Lexington parents hope to save others after ‘superhero’ son dies
It’s been more than a week since 3-year-old Sir Zion Broyles fatally shot himself in the head.
It’s been more than a week since the Broyles family had a regular Tuesday turn into a day of blood, screams and tears.
To Zion Broyles’ parents, Sir and Thomasina Broyles, it feels like it’s still March 17. They’ve struggled to eat or sleep. They’ve cried day after day. And they’ve remembered their son for what he was to them: a superhero.
“Anybody that came in contact with him, he definitely left an impression, and it seemed like people knew him for a lifetime, even though they just met him once,” Thomasina said.
Zion Broyles was the light of his family’s life, Thomasina said. He brightened days. He made people feel as though they knew him for a lifetime. He impressed with his intelligence, and he ended family feuds.
“My mom and her sister didn’t talk for over 15 years,” Sir said. “And this was the first child of our generation because our family’s really small, and when he was born, it shattered all of that. Everybody let all the anger go for this little baby because it was our baby. Everybody loved him..”
He also surprised them with his energy. He considered himself a superhero. The family’s dog, a Doberman named Loki, was his sidekick. “Super Zion” and “Super Loki” would run all day, Sir said.
“All day out of the house, he would run from the front door to the back door nonstop,” Sir said. ”… We used to say he was a twin trapped in one body, because I’m a twin, and he had enough energy to wear me and my brother out.”
His love for superheroes stemmed from two of his favorite TV shows: Paw Patrol and PJ Masks, his parents said.
“Gecko [a character in the ‘PJ Masks’] was his superhero,” Sir said. “For Halloween, Christmas, his birthday — we brought him a mask, couldn’t get the mask away from him. Gecko was everything to him.”
Sir said one of the best days of his life came on a day — Halloween — when Zion was dressed like a superhero. The family went trick-or-treating together, and Sir delighted over how enthused Zion was about getting candy. He said Zion would’ve stayed out until all the houses stopped.
“Every time I play it back in my head, it just hurts to see, because he was so happy,” Sir said. “And I just feel like I failed him. And it hurts so bad because as a father, you only have one job.”
A little boy finds a gun where it usually isn’t
Zion’s life was lost on March 17. That morning, a maintenance crew showed up to the Broyles’ home on Chestnut Street to spray the house to prevent bug infestations, Sir said. While they were spraying, the workers could have moved the bed in Sir and Thomasina’s room, the parents said.
They think the shift was enough to expose Sir’s Glock pistol under the bed, where he kept it tucked away.
Zion had never seen where the gun was kept, Sir said. They’d never allowed Zion to have the firearm. He wasn’t allowed to play with toy guns. But Sir and Thomasina weren’t in the room when Zion entered. They had to use the bathroom, and they hadn’t checked the room since the maintenance team left, they said.
“Normally, when I wake up, it (the gun) goes directly into my pants holster. I’ve been doing the same routine for three years,” Sir said. He said the maintenance crew woke them up, and that changed the routine.
There is no external safety on a Glock. Glock pistols instead have a so-called “safe action system.” Sir referred to it as a hairline trigger. To fire the gun, the user has to properly align the “trigger safety” with the actual trigger. The “trigger safety” is a lever that blocks the trigger from firing if it is not moved properly.
Rick Strohmeier, a concealed carry instructor certified by the Kentucky State Police and a former military police officer, said Glock’s safe action system isn’t as secure as it might seem.
“Basically it’s a double trigger, you just go ahead and pull just like you would any other trigger,” Strohmeier said. “They line up perfectly. It doesn’t take any thought.”
But even if the “trigger safety” is lined up properly, Glock triggers require 4-to-5 pounds of pressure to pull the trigger, which is supposed to be too heavy for a child to pull, Sir said. Thomasina said it’s not easy for her to pull the trigger of the Glock one-handed at shooting ranges, and that Zion must have pulled it with both hands.
Strohmeier said the trigger is pretty standard, and it’s easier for children to pull than some would think.
Either way, Zion managed to fire the Glock.
Sir said he got to Zion as quickly as he could when he heard the shot. He grabbed his son and tried to hold him to keep the injury from getting worse. Zion’s mother called 911, frantically asking them what to do.
“I saw him, . . . blood, and I grabbed him as fast as I could. I tucked him like a football, held his head, and I took off running and screaming,” Sir said. “She called the ambulance. I’m holding his head, trying to keep pressure on it and trying to keep him turned over so he wouldn’t drown in his own blood.”
They were about to attempt CPR when the police and ambulance showed up, they said. Emergency responders took him to the University of Kentucky Chandler Medical Center.
Zion’s time in the hospital was one of grief for his family. His mother said he had 50 people there supporting him. But they weren’t alone. His mother said UK nurses and doctors were incredibly supportive.
UK Hospital staff roots for child to recover
“I want to thank them because they were so precious and sweet to us,” Thomasina said. “We didn’t even know how to react. You would’ve thought they knew our son. They were crying. They were rooting for him. Everyone was praying. Everyone wanted him to pull through.”
He died about 1 p.m. Thursday, according to the Fayette County coroner’s office, a little more than 48 hours after the shot. He fell victim to what is now the leading cause of death for American children and teens, according to Everytown Research: guns.
Sir and Thomasina Broyles’ superhero was dead, but they wanted his impact to be felt. They decided to donate his organs. His heart went to one child, and both of his kidneys went to another, the Broyles said. The transplants happened Saturday.
“We looked at it as, if someone was able to give our son their brain, would we take it? The answer was yes, so why would we deprive another child from not being able to live their life,” Thomasina said. “Plus, just because he’s not here with us physically, it doesn’t mean his life will not keep going.”
Sir said that he and his brother, Mister Liekiem Broyles, a former corrections officer, have always been big on gun safety. Sir and Thomasina have two other guns that they keep locked away, and do not leave loaded at home, they said.
Zion’s death made them re-evaluate their gun safety.
“I believe that firearms are needed, but the way we handle them needs to change,” Sir said. “Sometimes, you think you’re being safe.”
Zion’s parents said his death was a freak accident, but they want to help others avoid the pain. In Kentucky, more than half of all adults own a gun, according to the Kentucky Health Issues Poll by the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky and Interact for Health.
In a state with that many guns, this is nothing new. Previous Herald-Leader reporting found that children committed at least 36 accidental shootings from 2013 to 2017.
You may think you’re being safe with guns
“I want to be able to teach people and let them know, regardless of how safe you think you’re being … there’s always a next step of safety precautions and measures that you can take,” Sir said.
According to the health issues poll, 64% of Kentucky adults with guns in their homes leave them loaded and unlocked. Securing guns away from children is very easy to do these days, Strohmeier said. Some document safes are available for under $20, and are well-sized for handguns, he said.
“Put that loaded weapon in the safe,” Strohmeier said. “You’ve got a key; your wife’s got a key. If a bad person breaks into the house, you’re going to have time to go get that gun from your safe.”
Sir said he wants to start a foundation that can help people secure guns by providing locks and other equipment.
“I’m struggling with faith on this one, but if I can help other families … It’s about community and unity,” Sir said. “I would want somebody to save my son. So if my voice can save somebody else’s son or daughter, that’s God’s will.”
Thomasina said she wants to start a foundation that helps families pay for funerals after accidental deaths.
They both said they want to help people understand the necessity of keeping their children safe.
“It can happen to anyone at any time,” Thomasina said. “It doesn’t necessarily have to be a gun. Kids get hurt all the time.”
Funeral arrangements have been made for Saturday, Sir said. The Lexington Police Department is still investigating Zion’s death, but it agrees the gunshot wound was self-inflicted and accidental. No charges have been filed, spokeswoman Brenna Angel said.
In Kentucky, it is illegal to “intentionally, knowingly or recklessly” provide a handgun to a minor, or permit a minor to have a handgun, according to state statute 527.110.
However, “Kentucky does not impose criminal liability for negligent storage of a firearm, even if a child gains access to the firearm and causes an injury or death,” according to the Giffords Law Center.
This story was originally published March 26, 2020 at 8:47 AM.