Phoenix toddler accidentally shoots himself with dad's gun, police say
Phoenix police responded around 10 p.m. on July 9 to a report of a child who had been shot near 84th Avenue and Campbell Avenue in the Maryvale neighborhood of west Phoenix, according to court documents.
Officers arrived and found Guerra holding the victim, a 2-year-old boy with a gunshot wound on his upper left arm and a broken humerus, court documents said.
Guerra told officers that he set the firearm on the couch, intending to clean it, but he got distracted watching online videos on his computer, court documents said.
Guerra told officers he saw the toddler enter the living room but believed he had returned to his bedroom and was sleeping, court documents said.
Approximately 30 seconds after seeing the victim enter the room, while still focused on the online videos, Guerra told officers he heard a loud bang and turned to see the victim bleeding from the arm, court documents said.
The mother of the toddler stated the child was running back and forth between the living room and his bedroom, and while she was in the kitchen, she heard a gunshot, court documents said.
She added that there had been a previous instance of Guerra leaving firearms out in the home and that they had discussed the need to keep the guns more secure, court documents said.
Guerra was arrested and booked on one count of felony child abuse. According to court documents, he admitted to police that it was his responsibility to keep the firearm out of the child's reach and acknowledged it was a serious mistake on his part.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Oscar Guerra arrested after 2-year-old son accidentally shoots himself
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