NORFOLK, Va. (WTKR) - A father has been charged after a Norfolk 3-year-old allegedly picked up a gun and shot himself in the hand on the Fourth of July.
Norfolk police said Friday that Robert Buchanan of the 8000 block of Plymouth Street was charged with allowing access to firearms by children.
The shooting happened just after 4 p.m. at the couple's Plymouth Street home in the Bayview section of Norfolk.
Police said the boy's father left a handgun unattended in a room when the boy discovered the weapon. When they boy's mother found him, she called police.
The boy was taken to the hospital. A picture shows the boy's left hand bandaged after having five stitches to repair the bullet wound. He is now at home recovering with his family.
Buchanan is slated to appear in Norfolk Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court on Aug. 15.
