A Pennsylvania couple has been charged after their 4-year-old son shot himself in the head with a gun they had left on the bedroom floor next to his paint set.
Laura Steele and Michael Lynn were charged with endangering the welfare of a child and reckless endangerment in connection with the July 6 shooting that seriously injured their son, Ronnie Lynn.
“This was a tragic and unacceptable shooting that ultimately could and should have been prevented,” District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli said in a statement announcing the charges Monday. “There is one simple solution to prevent these types of incidents from happening, and that is to store your firearm in a safe and secure location.”
Police were called to the family’s home in Rostaver Township after the teenager shot himself in the head with a gun that was kept loaded and unsecured under the bed, prosecutors said.
Ronnie Lynn, 4, was seriously injured after shooting himself in the head with his parents’ unsecured gun. Family Distribution
Both of the boy’s parents were home and heard a “pop” before finding their son bleeding on the floor with a gun next to him, according to the DA’s office.
Steele allegedly told police that her son sometimes reached under the bed, where the family kept a gun, to get a paint set, CBS Pittsburgh reported.
The mother said the gun had been there for so long that she had forgotten it was there – and she was more worried her son would get hurt playing with scissors.
Ronnie, left, underwent surgery and has undergone physical therapy to regain use of his arms and legs. Family Distribution
Ronnie was rushed to Children’s Hospital of UPMC, where he underwent surgery.
In September, his family released an update on his condition, saying he was undergoing physical therapy to regain feeling in his arms and legs, after having to relearn how to speak.
More than five months after the shooting, the child is still receiving ongoing medical treatment. His grandfather told station WTAE that he is now walking but still struggles to use his right arm.
Ziccarelli said Ronnie “will likely have to live with this painful reminder for the rest of his life.”
Police said the 4-year-old’s mother blamed herself for what happened to her son because she was “too tired to pay attention to her own child.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
