Parents shot by their toddler charged with child abuse

[Judi Lynn]

Source: CNN

Parents shot by their toddler charged with child abuse
By: Ann Colwell and Andreas Preuss, CNN
Posted: 1:59 PM, Feb 8, 2015

(CNN) -- The parents of a toddler have been charged with child abuse after their 3-year-old son shot them both, according to a New Mexico criminal complaint.

The shooting happened last Saturday afternoon at a motel in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The couple was shot apparently after the child grabbed a .45-caliber handgun from his mother's purse and fired one shot, striking both his father and his pregnant mother.

Both parents were arrested Thursday on a charge of child abuse without great bodily harm, according to a state criminal complaint. The boy and his 2-year-old sister, who also was in the room, were not injured in the incident.

CNN is not identifying the parents to protect the identities of their children.

In the complaint, police say the children, who have not been identified by name, were in the motel room with their parents. The boy jumped up and managed to grab his mother's handbag from on top of a small refrigerator, about 3 feet high. Inside the purse, he discovered a loaded .45-caliber Smith and Wesson semi-automatic firearm, which had been purchased earlier that day.

Read more: http://www.wptv.com/news/national/parents-shot-by-their-toddler-charged-with-child-abuse

[Major Nikon]

1. Double whammy. That's a cold shot in the ass

[Duckhunter935]

2. good

but I would think child endangerment could fit also.

[pipoman]

6. criminal laws and their respective criteria

Vary greatly from state to state. ..

[roody]

3. good

[840high]

11. Yes.

[sunnystarr]

4. Plus the mom is 8 months pregnant

and the dad is a convicted felon and not allowed to be around guns so I'm sure he'll do some time behind bars for this. They had just bought the gun that day. Bad decision and so sad for those babies.

[cstanleytech]

9. I have heard they cant possess but this is the first time I have heard that they

cant even be around one.

[msanthrope]

12. Yep. They can't be cohabiting with someone in possession.

I've had more than my share of idiot clients who thought that having their girlfriend buy and register the gun would keep them out of jail.

No.

[Arkansas Granny]

5. It's about time these cases are prosecuted.

[Kalidurga]

7. Sounds like the toddler was acting in self-defense.

Well it would have been a possibility if he knew what guns are and how precarious his situation is.

[colsohlibgal]

8. As it Should Be

Gun nuts are....well nuts. Often dangerous nuts. I don't get the love of firearms and never will get it - though with men I like others have one pretty good theory.

It's creepy knowing that in many places people can wander through stores and other public places packing.

[flamin lib]

10. Hmmmm,

Dad hit in buttocks and Mom in shoulder with same bullet. What was Mom & Dad up to? And in front of a toddler?

[msanthrope]

13. You know....now I want to reconstruct this......damn! nt

[DebJ]

16. I wondered that too, at first, then I realized if the toddler was standing behind the Dad

he could have shot him at an upward angle.... the lower part of the buttocks being lower than the top-most part of the thigh. So the bullet exited upwards from the thigh to the mother' shoulder.

[EEO]

14. That kid has some pretty solid skills.

[Blue_Tires]

15. I'm starting to wonder how many of these "shot by a toddler" stories

are really from parents being negligent/careless/violent jackasses who fired the gun themselves and make up some story to take "legal cover" behind their toddler...

[AtheistCrusader]

18. A possibility in some cases.

In this one though, kinda has to be a third party. Shot dad in the ass, mom in the shoulder, with one round.

[Paladin]

17. Glad to hear it. (nt)