INDIANAPOLIS โ UPDATE: On Sept. 5, Anaya Velazquez and Antreaun Rice were both charged with felony neglect of a dependent after a 3-year-old shot himself with Rice's gun. As of Sept. 5, the boy was still in critical condition.
IMPD announced the arrest of two people after a toddler accidentally shot himself on Indianapolis' southwest side Tuesday afternoon.
26-year-old Antreaun Rice and 26-year-old Anaya Velazquez were arrested on preliminary charges of neglect of a dependent after the incident, which detectives determined happened in the 2500 block of South Belmont Avenue, near West Raymond Street, IMPD said in an update Wednesday.
The incident was reported around 5 p.m. Aug. 27 near West Morris and Harding streets. At the scene in a Wendy's parking lot, responding officers found a male toddler who had been shot.
Medics transported the boy to a local hospital in critical condition.
A family member told 13News the boy is 3 years old and is expected to be alright after undergoing surgery the night of Aug. 27. According to court documents, the boy was still in critical condition more than a week later on Sept. 5.
According to court documents, the bullet was still in his body after his first surgery. The 3-year-old has had at least 4 surgeries since the shooting.
Court documents say Velazquez and kids were in a parking lot to pick up Rice from work.
According to court documents, Velazquez was holding the 3-year-old in the front passenger seat while the car was parked. Three other kids โ ages 5, 7 and 9 โ allegedly told detectives they were playing in the parking lot when they heard a "pop" from the car. The kids all told detectives that the 3-year-old shot himself in the stomach.
Detectives spoke with Rice, who allegedly said he got his gun out of the trunk and had it under his armpit. Court documents say Rice then said he put his gun on the floor of the car between the front passenger seat and front passenger door as he let the kids out of the back seat to play with them in the parking lot.
Rice allegedly said Velazquez was on the phone when he pointed his finger at the gun to tell her to keep an eye on it. Moments later, he said he heard a "pop" and determined the 3-year-old had been shot. Rice said he put his gun back in the trunk and started driving to the hospital.
When detectives spoke with Velazquez, she said she didn't know Rice took the gun out of the backpack and put it in the car.
"Detectives applied for and were granted a search warrant for a vehicle," a department spokesperson said in a statement Aug. 28. "Ultimately, detectives located and recovered a firearm from within the vehicle."
The Wendy's drive-thru was closed while detectives investigated. One employee who wanted to remain anonymous said the commotion in the parking surprised them.
"It's devastating to hear, especially right in front of your face. You always hear it happening, but you never think it's going to happen right in front of you," the employee said.
The Indiana Department of Child Services has been contacted about the case.
The Marion County Prosecutor's Office will make the final charging decisions.
Police, community leaders respond to recent accidental shootings involving kids
IMPD Ofc. Drew Brown called this latest shooting "an absolute tragedy."
"To have to respond to something like this as an officer is heartbreaking, but for a family to have to experience something like this is devastating," Brown said. "This is the second time in less than 24 hours that Indianapolis has had to receive news of this nature. Our hearts are with the family.
"Gun ownership and gun responsibility are one and the same. We can't stress enough that firearms in the hands of children with no supervised adults is devastating," Brown said.
Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett has stayed relatively quiet during all of these incidents until Wednesday at a ribbon cutting for a new apartment building.
Hogsett said the responsibility doesnโt just fall on the city, but also on the community.
โIt breaks my heart. Not only as mayor, but as a father,โ Hogsett said. โIt underscores the responsibility that the city has and the mayor has in making sure our criminal intervention efforts are given the highest priority, but it also underscores the communityโs obligation.โ
Over the course of nine days, six kids have been hurt or killed by guns in Indianapolis.
Police said half of the shootings were accidental, meaning a kid got ahold of a loaded firearm and pulled the trigger. In the other incidents, the child was caught in the crossfire.
Their ages range from 10 months to 5 years old. Hogsett believes the majority of these cases are preventable.
โAny public library has an unlimited amount of gun locks. Take advantage of them. Parents, if you are going to be a gun owner, make sure you are a responsible gun owner, and keep the guns out of the hands of kids,โ Hogsett said.
Hogsett also said he wouldnโt be opposed to stricter penalties for parents.
โIf this kind of activity continues, desperate times call for desperate measures. I think it is perfectly appropriate to hold irresponsible people accountable,โ Hogsett said.