A 33-year-old mother is facing criminal charges after her 2-year-old son accidentally shot himself in the leg with a handgun retrieved from her purse, Miami Gardens police said.
The child’s great-grandmother, Paula Campbell-Stone, told CBS News Miami she believes the shooting was a tragic accident and is thankful the boy was not more seriously injured.
“It was definitely an accident,’ great-grandmother says
“My reaction is that I was very upset and sad about it. I thank God that it was only his leg and he is on the mend at this time,” Campbell-Stone said.
“My feeling is that she has always been a good mother. She has always been good to her children.”
“It was an unfortunate accident after she had gotten a tire changed, and when she got back in the car she probably didn’t even think about the fact that there were kids in the back seat,” she said.
“It was definitely an accident. There was nothing intentional about it. I am sure she did not plan for any of this to happen. I do believe the charges may be a little too extreme.”
“You have to be mindful of when you have a firearm in your purse. You have to secure these things and you cannot have them anywhere where the child is within reach and has access to them,” Campbell-Stone added.
She also expressed disbelief that a child so young could discharge a weapon. “It is amazing to me that a 2-year-old can pull the trigger. That is what is so puzzling to me. What is puzzling is that I don’t know the size of the gun, but I am wondering how he was able to pull the trigger with his little fingers.”
Police: Gun was in mother’s purse
The shooting happened just after 1:30 a.m. in the parking lot of an apartment complex at 21001 N.W. 22nd Avenue, just north of Hard Rock Stadium. According to the arrest report, Christina Doyle was driving with her son and a cousin’s child when she heard a bang and saw her son had shot himself in the right leg.
Police say Doyle told investigators the child had taken her black handgun from her purse while sitting in the back seat.
Doyle is charged with child neglect and culpable negligence for allowing a firearm to be accessible to a child. A judge set bond at $5,000 and ruled Doyle may only have supervised visits with her four children while the Florida Department of Children and Families investigates.
Judge and attorney weigh in
Circuit Court Judge Mindy Glazer found probable cause for the charges and issued a warning about unsecured weapons. “A child can gain access to anything,” Glazer said, emphasizing that guns and knives should always be locked up or kept in a safe.
Doyle’s attorney, Dustin Tischler, said his client has no prior criminal history.
“She has no priors and is a lawful gun owner. This was just a terrible mistake and it was unlucky that this happened to the child and fortunate it was not more serious. The child is out of the hospital and at home with a grandmother.”
