4-year-old Injured After Finding Loaded Gun

In a home in Glendale, Arizona, a 4-year-old boy was critically injured after he shot himself in the chest with a loaded, unsecured gun. He is now in stable condition, and is expected to recover. His father, Kevin Rhymes, 44, and his father’s girlfriend, Laquasha Sebastian, 31, have both been charged with child abuse and neglect. Rhymes has also been charged with misconduct involving weapons.

It was discovered, after extensive questioning, that Sebastian was sleeping in the master bedroom with the 4-year-old, when the boy found the 9mm handgun she kept under her pillow. Police also found a 40-caliber firearm in the backyard with ammunition for it scattered throughout the house, and an AR-15 in the back of a Jeep. A 5-year-old boy, who was in the house at the time of the shooting but not a witness, told police that Rhymes kept a gun underneath the mattress and in the closet. Rhymes and Sebastian had been warned and educated about gun safety around children when police made several calls to the residence last year.

“It’s just a terrible case. It’s one of those cases where we just want to stress the practice of gun safety and securing firearms in a safe location,” said a police spokesman.

Source:

Alexis Cortez, “Couple Arrested After 4-year-old Accidentally Shoots Himself At Glendale Home,” azfamily.com (March 21, 2024).