Mom blames 1-year-old’s injury on fall. But Ohio officials say he shot himself
A mother is facing charges in connection with an incident that left her son with a gunshot wound to the head, Ohio authorities said.
A 24-year-old woman from Harrison Township just outside Dayton called 911 on Feb. 11 after she said she believed her son cut his head falling into a piece of furniture, WHIO and WDTN reported.
“Initially, detectives were informed that the child had accidentally fallen into a television stand, but medical professionals contradicted this account,” the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office said in a Feb. 13 news release.
“The kid was seen here for a head laceration and we did a workup of possible physical abuse,” a physician at Dayton Children’s Hospital told WDTN.
Court records state the 22-month-old boy had a laceration so severe it exposed his skull in addition to a possible skull fracture and an active brain bleed, the Dayton Daily News reported.
Hospital staff alerted law enforcement to the nature of the child’s injuries, prompting a search of the home, WDTN reported.
“It was revealed that the child had actually sustained a gunshot wound from an unattended weapon,” the sheriff’s office said.
A search of the woman’s apartment revealed a bullet hole in the ceiling, spent shell casings and bullets, the Dayton Daily News reported, citing court documents.
After initially denying owning a gun, the mother told detectives she kept a gun unsecured on the floor under her bed, WHIO reported, citing court documents.
She also told investigators she moved the gun after her son shot himself, the station said, citing the documents.
The mother is charged with endangering children, tampering with evidence and having weapons while under disability, according to Vandalia Municipal Court records.
The boy was in stable condition as of Feb. 13, deputies said. McClatchy News is not identifying the mother to protect the identity of the child.
This story was originally published February 14, 2024 at 11:49 AM with the headline "Mom blames 1-year-old’s injury on fall. But Ohio officials say he shot himself."
