In a Chicago suburb, a three-year-old boy accidentally murdered his mother by fatally shooting her. The incident occurred Saturday night when a young family sat in their parked car outside a grocery store, according to sources.
Dejah Bennet, 22, Romell Watson, 23, and their three-year-old kid, whose name has not been published, were among those in the car. While both parents were out, their youngster obtained a loaded gun and accidentally shot it, killing Bennet. The tragedy happened around 8:30 p.m., after the family returned from the Food 4 Less store in Dolton, Illinois.
As reported by the Cook County medical examiner’s office, the person was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center but was confirmed dead at 9:34 p.m. Andrew Holmes, a trustee for the city of Dolton and a local community organizer, told that the mom had just buckled their child into his car seat, loaded groceries into the car, and sat in the front passenger seat before the shooting.
The pistol was said to have been hidden in the back seat of the vehicle, close enough for the tiny kid to reach it yet out of sight of his mom. Simultaneously, the dad was stated to be in the driver’s seat, facing away from his child, and equally unaware of what was going on behind him. There was some question at first as to whether the boy had discharged the rifle.
Some early reports questioned if the child was genuinely playing with the pistol when it went off, or if he just picked it up and dropped it before the weapon misfired. Investigators had a fair knowledge of what transpired that night, according to Dolton Police Chief Robert Collins Jr. on Monday afternoon. Collins Jr. stated that they have no evidence that the father fired the firearm, therefore the route they are investigating is that the gun was his responsibility. He (the toddler) somehow got ahold of the pistol and started playing with it in a humorous fashion, aimed the rifle, and fired the shot, he said.
Afterwards, detectives conducted a forensic interview with the child. According to Collins, the boy was questioned by someone who specializes in talking to young kids, and he was asked what, if anything, he recalled about the accident. He stated that the youngster claimed to have discharged the rifle. They are certain he discharged the rifle.
The gun was most likely possessed by the child’s father. Watson did not deny holding the gun and was held throughout the weekend without incident. He has been charged with minor firearms offenses. Meanwhile, the loss of the young mom has shocked and grieved the town. They ‘re trying to obtain trauma treatment for the boy and his family since he’s going to require it for the rest of his life, Holmes added.
Holmes also discussed the nature of the accident. He stated that this could’ve been avoided. It only takes a second to release it, thread it through the barrel, bring it back around, insert it, and lock it. Lock it if you leave it. Holmes went to the accident site, distributed gun locks, and talked about gun safety and how to avoid sad incidents like this.
