3-Year-Old Accidentally Shoots Baby; Woman Arrested On Child Neglect Charges

A 5-month-old baby was accidentally shot in the hip by a 3-year-old child in Tampa, Florida, and a 25-year-old woman who was in the house at the time of the incident was arrested.

Officers with the Tampa Police Department responded to a home in Tampa for a report of a 5-month-old baby getting shot shortly after 1 p.m. Saturday, according to a news release from the department.

Police said that Paula Marie Concepcion Santos was the only adult in the home with the infant and the toddler, whose names have not been disclosed. It is unclear as of this writing how the woman is related to the two children.

Santos told police that the 3-year-old child somehow got ahold of the firearm and accidentally fired it, striking the baby in the hip.

The baby was brought to Tampa General Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to police. The baby is expected to survive, authorities said.

"While we're incredibly thankful this infant was not fatally injured, this should serve as a reminder to every parent or guardian to immediately go and check that their guns are properly secured," Tampa Police Chief Mary O'Connor said in the news release. "Children should not be able to access firearms, and moreover, guns should always be stored in a locked safe with the ammo stored separately. Don't put the life of a child at risk by being careless."

Santos was arrested and charged with child neglect with great bodily harm, according to the department. No further details have been provided on the case.

In related news, a 30-year-old man in Hillsborough County, Florida, allegedly shot his two young children in the head Monday night, killing one and critically injuring the other.

After giving their 5-year-old daughter and 8-year-old son a kiss goodnight, the kids' mother left them in the bedroom with their father, Jermaine Lavanda Bass, and went to the restroom, WLFA reported, citing Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister.

While she was in the restroom, the mother heard several gunshots, according to the sheriff. She ran out outside and found her neighbor on the phone with a 911 dispatcher.

Bass then came out of their home with their 8-year-old boy and told them to get help. He told responding officers that his gun allegedly went off and that he shot his son by accident.

Bass also told officers that his daughter was asleep upstairs. When police went inside to check on the 5-year-old girl, they found the child laying on the top bunk in a pool of blood.

The children had been shot three to four times in the head, according to Chronister.

The kids were rushed to Tampa General Hospital, where the 5-year-old was pronounced dead and the 8-year-old was listed in critical condition. The boy's current condition is unclear.

Bass was arrested on charges of first-degree premeditated murder with a firearm, first-degree premeditated attempted murder with a firearm and aggravated child abuse.

Police did not disclose a motive behind the shooting, and the investigation into the incident is ongoing.