MUNCIE — Authorities say a 4-year-old boy shot himself with a loaded gun that his mother's boyfriend left in a doll house.
The boy found the 9-mm handgun and shot himself shortly after noon Monday at a home in the 1500 block of South Burlington Drive in Muncie, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Joseph P. M. Jackson, 19 — the boyfriend of the child's mother Alycia J. Smith, 22 — told police the couple had been living in the home with her son and 2-year-old daughter for about a month.
According to the affidavit, Jackson told police "that he regularly leaves the gun sitting in the doll house."
The boy used a desk chair to climb onto a table and reach into the doll house to grab the unattended gun, according to documents.
"Jackson owns a retention holster for the firearm but always places it inside the doll house without it being secured in the holster," the affidavit read.
Jackson was downstairs when he heard the gunshot. Smith was in the upstairs bedroom when she told detectives she turned and saw her son with the gun in his hands, according to the affidavit.
"Smith said (her son) fired a gun and collapsed on the floor," Muncie Police Department Officer Mariah Copeland wrote in the affidavit. "Smith stated Jackson came upstairs picking up (her son) and carrying (her son) downstairs."
Smith's daughter was also in the room when the boyfriend the shot. Smith called 911 while someone performed CPR on the boy until medics arrived.
The boy died at IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital.
Both Jackson and Smith face charges of neglect of a dependent resulting in death and neglect of a dependent. The second charge is related to a second child, a 2-year-old girl, who was inside the home at the time.
Both were held Tuesday in the Delaware County Jail with bonds set at $55,000, records show.
"During her interview, Smith admitted that she was aware Jackson had a gun and that he had left a gun sitting in the dollhouse 'at least 10 times,'" Copeland wrote in the affidavit. "This resulted in several previous arguments."
Police said there was a safe place in this home for this gun.
"Investigators also located a large gun safe on the first floor of the residence that could’ve been used to safely store the firearm," Copeland wrote.
Both Smith and Jackson are scheduled to appear for an initial hearing Monday at Delaware Circuit Court.
Contact WRTV reporter Vic Ryckaert at victor.ryckaert@wrtv.com or on Twitter: @vicryc.
-
IBE hosts "Dine & Discuss" covering voting, redistricting and representation
Hoosier lawmakers will meet in December to consider redrawing Indiana’s congressional maps, at the urging of the White House.
Respiratory therapists are in high demand across Indiana
The National Board of Respiratory Care estimates nearly 100,000 therapists will leave the profession by the end of the decade.
What drives turkey prices? This Boone County farm weighs in
According to the Indiana Farm Bureau, Thanksgiving turkey at Indiana grocery stores was around $1.33 per pound last year, and $1.38 per pound in 2023. Shoppers can expect similar prices this year.
Brownsburg honors veterans with 'Field of Honor' featuring 250 American flags
The Town of Brownsburg created a powerful tribute to honor military service members past and present, with a display called the "Field of Honor" outside Town Hall.
