A Gainesville man was jailed after his toddler son accidentally shot himself with a gun the child found in his father's bedroom.
Hall County sheriff's Sgt. Kiley Sargent told WSB-TV that Raley A. Lane, 33, told investigators that he was getting dressed Saturday in the bedroom of the home on Old Cornelia Highway when his 21-month-old son, Cody, came in, picked a handgun up off the nightstand and shot himself.
Lane told deputies that "it just happened so quickly," Sargent said.
The divorced father, who had custody of the child on the weekends, took the toddler to a nearby hospital, but the child later died from the gunshot wound.
Lane was charged with involuntary manslaughter, cruelty to children and reckless conduct.
Support real journalism. Support local journalism. Subscribe to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution today. See offers.
Your subscription to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution funds in-depth reporting and investigations that keep you informed. Thank you for supporting real journalism.
Download the new AJC app. More local news, more breaking news and in-depth journalism. AJC.com. Atlanta. News. Now.
Download the new AJC app. More local news, more breaking news and in-depth journalism. AJC.com. Atlanta. News. Now.
With the largest team in the state, the AJC reports what’s really going on with your tax dollars and your elected officials. Subscribe today. Visit the AJC's Georgia Navigator for the latest in Georgia politics.
Your subscription to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution funds in-depth reporting and investigations that keep you informed. Thank you for supporting real journalism. Visit the AJC's Georgia Navigator for the latest in Georgia politics.