Police in Florida say a 10-year-old boy shot his younger sister in the face with a revolver he discovered in his mother’s vehicle after she left them alone with the two other children, a toddler and an infant.
According to reports, the mother left her four children—ages 1, 2, 8, and 10—in the vehicle when she entered a RaceTrac gas station in West Palm Beach early Tuesday.
According to Mike Jachles, a police spokesperson, the oldest kid searched the glove box after mom departed and discovered a semiautomatic Glock.
According to the police spokesperson, his 8-year-old sister was struck in the cheek when the pistol went off. The gunfire did not injure two additional siblings—a boy of one year and a girl of two years.
Jachles said that the injured youngster was “awake and attentive,” and the girl will likely recover fully after surgery at a nearby hospital.
The children were left unattended in the vehicle at about 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, leading to the tragic accident.
Talks with the state attorney’s office, the Department of Children and Families (DCF), and the police revealed that two investigations into what happened on Tuesday morning are ongoing: one by the DCF and another by the WPBPD.
It is yet unclear if the mother will face prosecution for the unintentional gunshot as of Wednesday morning. Former prosecutor and current criminal defense attorney Patrick R. McKamey discussed the possibilities.
He added that leaving a youngster alone in an idling vehicle is unacceptable and may be illegal. When you do this with a loaded gun in the center console, it becomes quite dangerous. He said she may face charges of culpable negligence stemming from child neglect, a crime that carries a maximum sentence of fifteen years in jail.
Even though it happens, McKamey is optimistic that this will not be one instance of a juvenile being prosecuted.
