ARLINGTON, S.C. ? A 2-year-old Darlington child is recovering from a gunshot wound to the stomach Tuesday after his parents tried to hide the evidence before taking him to the hospital, deputies said.
According to a press release from the Darlington County Sheriff's Office, the child was treated in the emergency room before being transported to Columbia for surgery.
?The male child is expected to survive the incident, but had to be transported to Columbia hospital for surgery to make sure there were no other internal injuries. Now we will have the task of finding out why this happened,? said Sheriff Wayne Byrd.
Investigators were told that the child found a semi-automatic handgun and was playing with the gun when it went off around 1 p.m. Monday.
The incident happened at a home in the Heavenly Heights area in Lydia.
The father of the child, Marcus Lucas, 19, and the child's mother, Adrien Jackson, 20, were charged with unlawful neglect of a child, tampering with evidence, and possession of stolen property.
Investigators said the gun used was also stolen. Tylesha Lucas, 18, aunt of the child, was charged with tampering with evidence and possession of stolen property.
Investigators say that the three were attempting to hide the gun and the shell casing to conceal the shooting before the child was taken to the ER.
It is still unclear how the child got the gun, but the case is under investigation.
The Department of Social Services was also called after deputies took two other children into emergency protective custody.
http://www2.wbtw.com/news/2012/oct/30/2 ... r-4855408/
According to a press release from the Darlington County Sheriff's Office, the child was treated in the emergency room before being transported to Columbia for surgery.
?The male child is expected to survive the incident, but had to be transported to Columbia hospital for surgery to make sure there were no other internal injuries. Now we will have the task of finding out why this happened,? said Sheriff Wayne Byrd.
Investigators were told that the child found a semi-automatic handgun and was playing with the gun when it went off around 1 p.m. Monday.
The incident happened at a home in the Heavenly Heights area in Lydia.
The father of the child, Marcus Lucas, 19, and the child's mother, Adrien Jackson, 20, were charged with unlawful neglect of a child, tampering with evidence, and possession of stolen property.
Investigators said the gun used was also stolen. Tylesha Lucas, 18, aunt of the child, was charged with tampering with evidence and possession of stolen property.
Investigators say that the three were attempting to hide the gun and the shell casing to conceal the shooting before the child was taken to the ER.
It is still unclear how the child got the gun, but the case is under investigation.
The Department of Social Services was also called after deputies took two other children into emergency protective custody.
http://www2.wbtw.com/news/2012/oct/30/2 ... r-4855408/
