TAMPA, Fla. – A Florida woman is facing child neglect charges after a 3-year-old found a gun in a home and shot an infant, police said Sunday.
The Tampa Police Department said in a news release the 5-month-old baby was shot in the hip but the injury does not appear life-threatening. Investigators were working to learn exactly how the shooting occurred.
Recommended Videos
The woman in the house at the time, 25-year-old Paula Marie Concepcion Santos, was charged with child neglect with great bodily harm, police said. Investigators did not immediately describe the woman's relationship to the two children.
[TRENDING: NASA delays Artemis launch; new date to be decided | Man faces criminal charges after threatening to crash plane in Mississippi, officials say | Become a News 6 Insider (it’s free!)]
The woman remained behind bars Sunday morning. Jail and court records did not list an attorney to speak for her.
Tampa Police Chief Mary O'Connor said the shooting is a reminder that anyone caring for children should make sure guns are safely stored.
“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. “Don’t put the life of a child at risk by being careless.”
Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: