State’s Attorney Julia Rietz said the youth had taken the magazine out of the .25-caliber handgun that he had stolen in February from a Rantoul drug dealer’s home but apparently didn’t realize it was still loaded.Where was the parental supervision in this horror story? That's what I want to know.
Rietz said the teen told Urbana police that Mekhi had been playing with the gun, which the teen kept in his room.
“He pointed it at the child and pulled the trigger, wanting to scare him and teach him about gun safety, not knowing there was a round in the chamber,” she said.
Rietz said after the round hit the toddler in the forehead, the teen scooped the child up and ran outdoors with him, handing his limp body to a young female friend he knew from school.
Assistant State’s Attorney Chris Kanis told Ladd in court that the child was still breathing, although the breathing was labored and the child had an obvious open wound to the forehead.
When the first officer arrived, the girl handed the wounded boy to him. At the same time, the teen was outside still holding the gun and yelling hysterically that he had shot his nephew and was going to shoot himself, Kanis said.
What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.
