On May 18, a 3-year-old Indiana boy’s access to a firearm led to his 21-year-old mother’s hospitalization for minor injuries and her friend’s arrest for his possible involvement with a murder case one state over in Illinois.
According to WTHR, the Franciscan Health Lafayette East Hospital treated Jalynn Artis, 21, and Trayshawn Malik Smith, 23, for minor injuries they obtained from a single gunshot. The Lafayette Police Department’s officers were dispatched to the hospital and informed of the incident.
When officers investigated and questioned, they discovered the 3-year-old boy fired the gun inside a Romney Meadows apartment Thursday night, and the bullet somehow injured Artis and Smith.
Officers also discovered that Smith had an arrest warrant for a murder case in Cook County, Illinois, two hours from Lafayette, Indiana.
Once the hospital cleared Smith, police took him into custody and contacted the Markham Police Department to inform them of Smith’s arrest.
According to the Tippecanoe County Sheriff’s Office, Smith was booked minutes before midnight, hours after the incident.
The child’s godmother, who was at work when the shooting happened, had her boyfriend speak on her behalf. He told the outlet that the 21-year-old and 23-year-old didn’t live in the Romney Meadows apartment but were visiting. Smith lived in Lafayette, while Artis resided in Gary.
“It’s sad to hear,” the boyfriend said. “Something more tragic could’ve happened. Someone could’ve died, something like that. Good thing that nobody did pass or anything like that. It’s embarrassing for something like that.”
Reports also stated that authorities contacted Child Services. Authorities haven’t made any charges.
“If [the parents] had a gun, I think they should keep them locked up and away from the children,” a neighbor commented. “That would’ve prevented this. It could’ve prevented the last one, as well.”
Another shooting incident involving a young child occurred in the Romney Meadows Apartment complex in March.
According to the Journal & Courier, a 5-year-old boy got his hands on a handgun in the apartment and shot his brother, 1-year-old Isiah Johnson. Police reported a call from someone outside the apartment about a child not breathing. When officers and medical personnel arrived at the scene, they claimed no one performed resuscitating efforts.
Healthy Children reported 125 toddlers and children under five easily accessed guns and shot themselves or someone else in 2020. Between 2015 and 2020, over 2,000 accidental shootings involved children.
Experts recommend parents use safes for all guns and separate safe boxes for ammo and trigger locks. These efforts contribute to keeping children safe from gun violence.
