A 3-year-old child accidentally shot a 5-month-old baby in Tampa’s Sulphur Springs neighborhood, and a woman in the house at the time of the incident was arrested, according to city police.
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Officers were called to a home located on the 8300 block of 17th Street shorting after 1 p.m. Saturday, following reports that a 5-month-old had been shot in the hip.
Rescue officials transported the baby to Tampa General Hospital. As of Sunday morning, the child’s injuries do not appear to be life-threatening, according to a news release from the Tampa Police Department.
Paula Marie Concepcion Santos, 25, was in the home at the time of the incident. According to Concepcion Santos, the 3-year-old accidentally fired the gun after getting ahold of the weapon, police said. Detectives are investigating the shooting.
Concepcion Santos was arrested and charged with child neglect with great bodily harm. Police did not identify the children or their relationship to Concepcion Santos, citing Marsy’s Law.
“While we’re incredibly thankful this infant was not fatally injured, this should serve as a reminder to every parent or guardian to immediately go and check that their guns are properly secured,” Tampa Police Chief Mary O’Connor said in a statement.
“Children should not be able to access firearms, and moreover, guns should always be stored in a locked safe with the ammo stored separately. Don’t put the life of a child at risk by being careless.”
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