A Durham mother is facing charges after her 4-year-old child suffered a gunshot wound and was left in critical condition. The incident occurred on yesterday afternoon and prompted a significant police response in a residential neighborhood, where the tragedy unfolded. Officers were dispatched to the 200 block of E. Cornwallis Road shortly before 2 pm following reports of a gunshot, as stated by the Durham Police Department.
Upon arrival, authorities discovered that the young victim had already been transported to the hospital by private vehicle, CBS17 reported. The child was listed in critical condition, and an investigation quickly ensued at the Cornwallis Road Apartments, a Durham Housing Authority property.
Later that evening, police arrested 24-year-old Vintasia Sowell, the child's mother, charging her with felony child abuse and assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury, confirmed by both ABC11 and WRAL. In a more detailed account, the arrest warrant revealed disturbing specifics. According to WRAL, the warrant alleged that Sowell "did cause a rifle to be fired, resulting in [the child] being struck on her left side damaging her spleen, liver, kidney and stomach."
The child was reportedly shot with a .223 rifle, a detail that points to the severity of the injury and the circumstances surrounding the event. While the community grapples with the shock, Sowell made bail late last night on a $50,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court tomorrow at 9 a.m., as WRAL disclosed. The nature of the incident described in the arrest warrant explicitly noted that "The physical injury was inflicted by other than accidental means."
