Metro Atlanta
Metro Atlanta

Mom charged after toddler finds gun, shoots self at DeKalb hotel

Channel 2's Audrey Washington talked to police on the scene Monday morning.
By Ellen Eldridge
March 23, 2016

Police arrested a woman Wednesday, two days after her 2-year-old found her gun and shot himself, DeKalb police said.

Valencia Burks was at the Knights Inn on Panola Road in Lithonia when her son found a handgun in her purse about 2:30 a.m. Monday and accidentally shot himself in the abdomen, police said.

The family is from North Carolina and arrived at the DeKalb hotel Sunday evening, police said.

The toddler was rushed to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston in critical condition and immediately taken into surgery, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported.

He is continuing to improve and is expected to recover, DeKalb police Maj. Stephen Fore said.

Burks was charged with reckless conduct, a misdemeanor. If convicted, the maximum penalty is 12 months confinement and/or up to a $1,000 fine, Fore said.

About the Author

Ellen Eldridge
More Stories

Keep Reading

Linda Tran works with staff to prepare large platters for each table during the Thanksgiving Celebration at the First Senior Center on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025, in Norcross. Linda and her sister Von Tran, who jointly operate the First Senior Center, are refugees with a harrowing survival story of leaving Vietnam as children. (Jason Getz/AJC)

Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com

Vietnamese refugee sisters survive harrowing journey, now pay it forward

The Tran sisters, Von and Linda, make Thanksgiving special for Vietnamese seniors at First Senior Center of Georgia in Norcross, hosting both American and Vietnamese feasts.

Thanksgiving to bring chilly, dry, overall delightful weather to metro Atlanta

A big drop in temperatures is coming overnight Wednesday, so go ahead and pull out those flannels and blankets.

Stabbings at Buckhead high-rise, Vivide nightclub turn deadly

Separate stabbings that left two men dead sent Atlanta police flying across the city in the early morning hours Wednesday.

The Latest

Sonny Bharadia, who spent more than two decades behind bars for a 2001 crime he did not commit, is suing the small town of Thunderbolt and the two law enforcement officers who handled his case. (Courtesy of Georgia Innocence Project)

Credit: Georgia Innocence Project

Man locked up for 23 years despite evidence proving his innocence, lawsuit says

Vietnamese refugee sisters survive harrowing journey, now pay it forward

Stabbings at Buckhead high-rise, Vivide nightclub turn deadly

Featured

Atlanta art and antiques appraiser and auctioneer Allan Baitcher (right) takes bids during a 2020 auction. Baitcher and his company, Peachtree Antiques, are being sued by a Florida multimillionaire who says he paid them $20 million for fakes. (AJC 2020)

Credit: Phil Skinner / Staff

Atlanta antique appraiser made $20M selling fakes, lawsuit says

An Atlanta art and antique appraiser is being sued by a Florida multimillionaire, who says he spent about $20 million on thousands of fake works.

How an ex-Texan and a university helped change the face of a Georgia city

Mercer University President Bill Underwood is stepping down after two decades at the helm. He's credited with boosting enrollment, resurrecting football and reshaping Macon.

Thanksgiving to bring chilly, dry, overall delightful weather to metro Atlanta

A big drop in temperatures is coming overnight Wednesday, so go ahead and pull out those flannels and blankets.