Parents of a 4-year old Pennsylvania boy, who suffered injuries after shooting himself with a gun in his home earlier this year, are now facing criminal charges.
According to the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office, Laura Steele and Michael Lynn, both of Rostraver Township, have been charged with endangering the welfare of children by a parent/guardian and recklessly endangering another person.
The boy shot himself with a handgun on July 6 at his family’s home in Rostraver Township, an area located about 25 miles south of Pittsburgh.
According to authorities, he has been identified as Ronnie Lynn and an investigation determined the gun involved in the shooting was kept on the floor in a bedroom of the home, unsecured and loaded.
“Police confirmed both Steele and Lynn were home at the time of the shooting and heard a ‘pop’ from the bedroom and found the child bleeding on the floor with the handgun beside the child.
Steele admitted to officers that she was at fault and added she did not communicate properly with her child because she was too tired to pay attention.
After the shooting, the boy was flown to UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, where he underwent emergency surgery.
Ronnie’s family said in September that he had lost feeling in his arms and legs and was currently in physical therapy to regain his range of motion.
According to the D.A.’s Office, Ronnie continues to receive constant medical care around the clock.
Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli called the incident a tragic and unacceptable shooting that ultimately could have and should have been prevented.
“There is one simple solution to prevent these types of incidents from happening, and it is to store your firearms in a safe and secure location,” said Ziccarelli.
“This little boy will likely have to live with this painful reminder for the rest of his life,” the district attorney added. “While we know we cannot prevent every crime, we have to find a way to protect our most vulnerable. My office is partnering with the nonprofit, Ray of Hope, to invite anyone from the community to receive a free gun lock as a way to ensure our firearms are secure.”
This was a tragic accident, but why are the local authorities (who I assume are Democratic vermin) persecuting the parents of this poor child? Haven’t they already suffered enough? I’m so sick of idiotic Democrats pushing gun locks as an answer for these tragedies. GUN LOCKS ARE UNCONSTITUTIONAL!!! Plain and simple. Democrats need to stop stealing our constitutional rights and our elections!