WASHINGTON – A toddler in the United States accidentally shot a 5-month-old infant inside a home in the state of Florida.
The incident led to the woman caring for the 3-year-old and the infant being charged with neglect, according to police, Xinhua reported.
Law enforcement responded to the home, in the city of Tampa, around 1pm Saturday, after a call that the infant had been shot, the Tampa Police Department said in a statement.
Paula Concepcion Santos, 25, was taken into custody by police and charged with child neglect, and the infant was taken to the Tampa General Hospital.
Luckily, the infant had non-life-threatening injuries, and was treated as such.
Santos allegedly told the police that the 3-year-old got hold of a firearm and discharged it by accident.
Officers continue to try to piece together how the shooting happened, and have not disclosed the relationship between Santos and the two children. As of yesterday, Santos was in jail, held on US$15,000 (RM67,550) bond.
“While we’re incredibly thankful the infant was not fatally injured, this should serve as a reminder to every parent or guardian to immediately go and check that their guns are properly secured,” according to Tampa Police Chief Mary O’Connor.
“Children should not be able to access firearms, and moreover, guns should always be stored in a locked safe with the ammo stored separately,” O’Connor said.
At least nine mass shootings occurred over the Labour Day weekend, with at least 10 fatalities, according to data from the Gun Violence Archive.
The group defines mass shootings as incidents in which four or more individuals were shot dead. Such incidents occurred nationwide over the holiday weekend, including Chicago, Illinois; Norfolk, Virginia; and Charleston, South Carolina, as well as others.
The group said the weekend’s deadliest mass shooting was in Saint Paul, Minnesota, in which three people died and two others suffered injuries on Sunday.
According to police, cops were called around 4.30pm, and found two individuals outside a residence who had been shot. Both were rushed to a local hospital, according to local news outlet KARE.
Police found three more shooting victims inside the home, who were later determined to be dead, according to KARE. – Bernama, September 7, 2022
