Three Year Old Finds Gun And Accidentally Shoots Self In Hammond
On February 11, 2025, Hammond Police responded to a call on Logan Street in Hammond regarding a child being shot, according to court documents.
Upon arrival the officer located a male subject with his 3 year old daughter wrapped in his arms waiting for an ambulance to arrive. Inside the residence, in the bedroom, there was a loaded Springfield Armory XD 9mm semi-automatic handgun with the slide partially open and a spent shell casing still lodged inside the chamber. Located in the living room, in a pocket behind the headrest of the couch, there was a second firearm, a loaded black Taurus G2c 9 mm semi-automatic handgun.
According to court documents, the mother of the victim stated that she and her 2 daughters, who were 3 years old and 6 months old, were in her bedroom on the bed. While she was on the phone talking to a family member, she stopped paying attention to the 3-year-old victim for a few seconds because the victim had jumped off the bed. After getting off the bed, the 3-year-old apparently removed the gun that was placed between the mattresses of the bed. The mother heard a loud pop, and knew it was a gunshot, according to the Probable Cause Affidavit. She then saw that the 3-year-old was bleeding from the foot. Although the victim does know that the gun is sometimes kept in the mattress, she believes the gun may have been sticking out from the mattress and the 3-year-old victim saw it and grabbed it. The mother also added that the victim would often see the man carrying the gun on his person, but hasn’t shown any curiosity about it.
The child’s injuries appear to be a gunshot entry wound to the heel of the right foot, a gunshot exit wound just above the victims second toe, and what appeared to be a broken bone sticking out of the wound.
The male has been preliminary charged with:
Neglect of a dependent resulting in serious injury – Level 3 Felony
