Transcription
Now, a horrifying shooting has left a 2-year-old child dead in the San Bernardino city of Highland. Authorities gave the astounding details: the child found the gun between two seat cushions on a couch and shot himself. The boy's mother and her boyfriend are now in custody. KTLA's Shelby Nelson joins us live from Highland with what else investigators know this afternoon. Shelby, this is a really tough story.
Yeah, it really is, Laura and Sam. It's hard to hear, and especially for parents of little ones. Now, that little boy, after this all happened, he was rushed to the hospital, but sadly, he didn't make it. A heartbreaking scene unfolding at this Highland apartment complex Thursday night after a little boy gets hold of a gun and accidentally shoots himself. Deputies with the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department were called out to the home on Victoria Avenue just before 5:30 PM. Detectives determined that the child found a loaded firearm inside the home between some cushions of a couch. Laura On a Hill, a spokesperson with the Sheriff's Department, says the boy, who was only 2 years old, shot himself in the mouth. Authorities attempted to resuscitate him, but he later died at a hospital.
"The youngest was always in one of the parents' arms, the other one always hand in hand."
Hearing what happened was kind of like, "Wow, I didn't expect that." Neighbor Amber Butler has two kids of her own and believes this was a preventable tragedy.
"It's very tragic. I just hope that people see the consequences, not completely following all safety precautions when it comes to having firearms."
The boy's mother, identified as 20-year-old Jamari A. Cobb, and her boyfriend, 52-year-old Armand Bright, both arrested and charged with child abuse causing great bodily injury or death. Authorities say both were in the home at the time of the shooting, and that the gun was legally registered to the mom's boyfriend. The boy's little brother, only a year old, was taken by Child and Family Services.
The tragedy, a stark reminder for parents. It should say that if you do have guns in the home, you need to lock them up. Because going to jail is one thing, but losing your child is, that's obviously a whole different level, and that is the greatest consequence.
The case has not yet been turned over to the San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office. A spokesperson there says they're aware of the case. And this case underscores the critical responsibility every gun owner has to secure and store their firearms, ensuring that they're never accessible to children. When that responsibility is neglected and a child's life is lost, our office will pursue accountability to the fullest extent of the law. Told the mother, as well as her boyfriend, are currently being held on more than a million dollars bail. Reporting live from the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Headquarters.