HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WTVR) -The mother of a four-year-old boy shot in the leg over the weekend said she was taking complete responsibility for the shooting that injured her son. Henrico Police charged Antonia Lynn Obrien, 29, two counts of child neglect, according to Henrico arrest records.
Henrico Police Lt. Greg Dillard said the charges are related to the Saturday morning shooting at a home on Rolando Drive near Parham Rd. and Patterson Ave. Police called it an "accidental shooting" that involved two children.
O'Brien told CBS 6 reporter Tracy Sears that the gun used in the shooting is usually kept in a lockbox, but she took it out Friday night because she heard noises outside and her husband was at work. O'Brien said she put the gun under a dresser and forgot about it the next morning when she woke up.
She said her 10-year-old son found the gun and accidentally shot his younger brother in the leg. The four-year-old boy was not seriously hurt and is now home from the hospital.
“She regrets what happened and she has to deal with it,” says Patricia Alley, the victim’s grandmother. “It’s just a tragic accident but he’s going to be fine and that’s all that matters right now.”
Over the weekend, the child's father said he owned the .38 caliber handgun involved in the shooting. He said he bought the gun after recent break-ins and said his wife used it as a safety precaution when she is home alone.
The couple's children are in the care of their grandmother as Child Protective Services investigates.
