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.
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 with the two children.
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.”
