The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office in Florida says a 2-year-old is dead after a shooting that occurred inside an apartment on the city's west side.
The shooting happened at Morning Side apartments.
According to the Sheriff's Office, upon arrival, deputies determined a 2-year-old, Jaden Piedra, was shot.
Jacksonville Fire and Rescue transported the child to the hospital, where he later died, authorities said.
The child's mother, Donna Crump-Piedra, told ActionNewsJax reporter Ryan Nelson that her son had accidentally shot himself with a gun that wasn't secured while they were visiting someone.
She will soon have to bury her 2-year-old son.
“I didn’t think that I would lose him today,” she said. “I don’t know what I’m going to do without my baby. That’s my best friend. He’s everything to me. Both of my kids are.”
Crump-Piedra told ActionNewsJax that she and her two children were visiting a friend at the apartment complex when her children, Piedra and her 7-year-old son, were playing in another room.
Suddenly, her 7-year-old said Jaden was bleeding, she said.
“And I go look, and I’m not knowing; I’m thinking he probably fell or something,” she said. “So I’m like, ‘Oh, my God, what’s going on?’ But when I turned him, I saw his face, and it was swollen. But I didn’t know that he had hold (of) a gun.”
She told the news station that she doesn’t know if the weapon belonged to the friend they were visiting.
The Sheriff's Office confirmed that the child died after being taken to a local hospital. In a news release Saturday night, police said they are not looking for any suspects, and the investigation is active and ongoing.
The release included a message to gun owners to be responsible:
“We would like to remind everyone to secure firearms. Florida law states that any person who stores or leaves a loaded firearm on premises under his or her control, and who knows or reasonably should know that a person under the age of 16 is likely to gain access to the firearm without the lawful permission of the minor’s parent or person having charge of the minor, or without supervision required by law, must do one of the following:
• Keep the firearm in a securely locked box or container;
• Keep the firearm in a location which a reasonable person would believe to be secure; or
• Secure the firearm with a trigger lock.”
From this tragedy, Crump-Piedra hopes another can be avoided. She’s reminding others to be responsible with their firearms, as well.
“You never know who, or which little one, is going to get hold to it,” she said. “You could lose your child. I lost a 2-year-old.”
Crump-Piedra told ActionNewsJax that she doesn't know if the man they were visiting is facing charges. She said investigators are trying to determine who the weapon belonged to.
ActionNewsJax is working to determine if any charges will be filed in this case or if any arrests have been made.
– Visit ActionNewsJax.com for the latest on this developing story.
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