Charlotte man charged after 2-year-old boy found gun, critically wounds himself, police say

A 2-year-old boy was critically hurt Wednesday evening after finding a gun and shooting himself in Charlotte, according to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police.

The toddler was taken by ambulance to a hospital with life-threatening injuries and is currently in stable condition, police said in a Thursday morning statement. The identity of the boy has not been released.

CMPD says a 25-year-old man has been charged in the case with failure to secure a firearm to protect a minor.

The incident occurred around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in the 1400 block of Camp Greene Street, which is in the midst of a residential neighborhood off Freedom Drive. It is west of uptown.

“The victim and his family were visiting a family-friend at a residence on Camp Greene Street when the child found and fired an unsecured firearm, injuring himself,” police said in a release.

“The firearm and additional evidence were collected as evidence, and the family-friend, Devonte Warren ... was found to be the owner of the firearm,” the release said.

Warren was arrested and transferred to the custody of the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office, a release said.

This story was originally published August 13, 2020 at 5:46 AM.