SUFFOLK, Va. – Court documents reveal the moments leading up to the death of a four-year-old boy in Suffolk Sunday night.
According to court paperwork, Antonio Melton, the toddler’s stepfather, said he was “removing the magazine from a handgun and the gun fired a single round, which traveled through the wall hitting the victim.”
Suffolk Police charged Melton, 38, in connection with the boy’s death.
According to police, the shooting happened inside a home in the 200 block of Pine Street near W. Finney Avenue around 9 p.m. Sunday, September 25.
During a short press briefing Tuesday, Police Chief Al Chandler said the boy’s stepfather was in a bedroom next to a bedroom the toddler was in when he was unloading a gun.
“Our victim, age four, was in a bedroom playing on the bed, eating a snack,” he said.
Chandler said as Melton was securing the gun in a dresser, it went off. According to court documents, the handgun fired a single round going through the wall hitting the four-year old.
“Mr. Melton went into the room where the victim was located and found that he had been struck by the bullet,” Chandler said. “Believing the child’s injuries were fatal, Mr. Melton fled the scene.”
After Melton left the home, the chief said he got into a car crash and was later arrested.
Meantime, back at the home, police said the boy’s mother heard the gunshot and then made the disturbing discovery.
“Waking up disoriented, she thought sound was from outside,” Chandler said. “She went outside and then as any mother would do, she checked on her children and that is when she found her son.”
Suffolk Fire and EMS crews treated the toddler at the scene and rushed him to Obici Hospital, but he did not survive.
Police said, at this point in the investigation, they don’t believe the shooting was intentional.
Melton’s brother-in-law called the deadly shooting an “honest mistake” on Facebook.
In the criminal complaint, detectives said Melton is a convicted felon and told them he knew he shouldn’t have had the gun.
Chief Chandler is reminding gun owners that the police department provides gun locks to people free of charge.
“This tragedy serves as another reminder of the importance of responsible gun ownership and safety," said Chandler.
Investigators charged Melton with second-degree murder; use of a firearm in commission of a felony; possession of a firearm by a violent felon; and reckless handling of firearm.
Melton has a preliminary hearing scheduled in General District Court on November 29 at 10 a.m.
