Toddler Shoots Himself in Hand with Gun Left on Couch

A two-year-old boy in Belle Glade, Florida, was taken to the hospital for treatment after shooting himself in the hand with a gun left unsecured. At the hospital, the boy was interviewed by Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF), and asked about his hand and what happened. “I shot it with a gun! I shot myself! I shot it! I was crying,” the boy said. He also said, “[t]he gun was on the couch!”

Jashawn Mathis, 24, told police that he owned the gun, a CZ P-10 S, and “accidentally left the handgun on the couch.” The gun was recovered, and Mathis was charged with child neglect with great bodily harm and culpable negligence.

Source:

Scott Sutton, “2-year-old Boy Accidentally Shoots Himself After Loaded Firearm Left on Couch,” wptv.com (March 25, 2025).