A Cincinnati father is facing charges after his 5-year-old child reportedly shot a 7-month-old sibling on Saturday night, according to local authorities. WLWT reports that the incident took place in an apartment along Sunset Avenue in West Price Hill at around 10 p.m., where police say the older sibling fired the gun, striking the infant in the thigh.
The injured baby was rushed to Cincinnati Children's Hospital. As the severity of the infant's injuries remains unknown, a 22-year-old Martez Jones, presumed to be the father of both children, was arrested early Sunday morning, and he has been booked into the Hamilton County Justice Center.
According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, Jones is accused of negligently leaving a loaded handgun on a bedroom windowsill. At the same time, he went to use the bathroom, which left the firearm accessible to the children, one of whom managed to discharge it. Court documents reveal multiple counts of endangering children have been brought against Jones, who allegedly admitted to the mistake to the police following the shooting.
Further details provided by FOX19 note that another adult was present in the home at the time of the incident, but currently, only Jones faces charges related to the incident; his court appearance is scheduled for Monday, although his bond has not yet been set, the complaint specifies that Jones's act put not only the injured infant at risk but the other children as well.
