A man is behind bars after a 3-year-old boy got hold of his gun and shot himself in the chest Friday afternoon inside a southwest Atlanta apartment, authorities said.
Officers responded to a person shot call at the Hidden Village Apartments on Landrum Drive just after 3:15 p.m. At the scene, they found the child with a single gunshot wound, police said. He was conscious and stable when taken to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta - Egleston Hospital.
The child’s mother, her boyfriend and the child’s grandmother were all in the apartment at the time, police said.
“The preliminary investigation indicates the child accidentally discharged a handgun and was struck by the round,” Atlanta police spokesman Sgt. John Chafee said. “Officers determined the firearm belonged to 22-year-old Demetrius Ramey and it appears he had placed the firearm in an area accessible to the child.”
Ramey was arrested at the scene and charged with reckless conduct and misdemeanor marijuana possession. He remained held at the Fulton County Jail on Saturday afternoon.
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