On May 22, a three-year-old toddler accidentally shot his little sister of two years old with a gun left between the pillows of the couch of their Lakeland, Florida home by a family friend.
According to ABC News, the child reportedly found the weapon in between cushions of the sofa when it was left there by a family friend who came over to watch TV on Friday night before he shot the girl.
According to Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, the young girl is currently in “exceptionally” critical condition.
After the girl was shot, three men rushed the children into a car to drive to the nearest hospital.
They got into a crash with another vehicle on their way, causing other people to be injured. The girl and one of the adults were taken to the hospital by a bystander who had stopped to offer assistance after the crash.
Kevonte’ Wilson told investigators he had placed the gun between sofa cushions to hide from the children.
Wilson was arrested for failing to safely store a firearm, carrying a concealed firearm, and possession of marijuana. The home’s owner, Chad Berrien, was charged with possession of marijuana and maintaining a house for drug use.
Wilson could face other counts, according to Judd.
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Judd reportedly could not say how the children are related to the men that were in the men that were in the home due to the Florida crime victim’s privacy law.
The young boy was taken by the Department of Children and Families and placed to live with his grandmother.
“There was no reason to think that this was an intentional act,” Judd said. “He was a baby playing with what he saw as some kind of toy.”
