Zyaire Cornelius, 18, was arrested in connection to a July 12 incident in which his two-year-old brother accidentally shot himself in the backseat of his car at a Costco gas station in New Orleans. The teen was charged with second-degree cruelty to a juvenile and possession of a stolen firearm.
WVUE-TV reported that Cornelius was taken into custody because a signed affidavit stated that the two-year-old suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound only because he left a gun unmonitored in the backseat of his car at a gas station. A press release made public the day after the tragedy noted that the young victim was treated at the scene and taken to the hospital after severe blood loss. The two-year-old has been treated and is in stable condition now.
“The gross negligence of Mr. Cornelius leaving the firearm in the rear seat with the 2-year-old victim resulted in the 2-year-old victim shooting himself in the leg,” the NOPD investigator said.
Last week, the shooting occurred around 4 PM at a Costco gas station in New Orleans 7th Ward. The victim was believed to have gotten a hold of his older brother’s unattended gun that was left loaded. He wound up accidentally shooting himself in the leg. Officers were called to the scene where, after stabilizing the victim, a subsequent search of the gray Dodge Challenger was enacted. The examination revealed two guns: “an AR-15 pistol wedged in between the driver seat and the center console.”
They also continued to find a “Glock 19 firearm with an extended magazine on the rear passenger floorboard.” They identified the Glock 19 as the gun that fired the 9mm bullet lodged in his younger brother and reported it as stolen in 2020.
“Upon questioning and further investigation, detectives determined Cornelius to be the perpetrator in this incident and obtained an arrest warrant on one count each of possession of a stolen firearm and second-degree cruelty to a juvenile. Cornelius was subsequently arrested and booked accordingly into the Orleans Parish Justice Center.”
