A 3-year-old child in Indiana shot their mother and her friend last week, leading police to arrest the friend, who was wanted on a murder charge in another state.
The child shot both his 21-year-old mother and the mother’s friend, 23-year-old Trayshaun Smith, in Lafayette, Indiana.
Smith was taken to the hospital and later arrested on an active murder warrant out of Cook County, Ill., Lt. Justin Hartman with the Lafayette Police Department told USA TODAY.
What happened the night of Smith’s arrest?
Police were called to Franciscan Health Lafayette East hospital around 8:31 p.m. Thursday about two people who had been shot, said Hartman with the Lafayette Police Department.
Hartman said the shooting happened at a Lafayette apartment complex.
“A 3-year-old child at that location accessed a gun and fired one round striking two people,” he wrote in an email. “Neither injury was life threatening.”
Hartman said it’s standard protocol for hospitals to call police when someone shows up with gunshot wounds. That’s how they found about about Smith.
Who was shot during the incident?
Both Smith and the child’s mother were shot, Hartman told USA TODAY.
What’s next?
The Indiana Department of Child Services was contacted about the child gaining access to the gun but “no immediate action was taken,” Hartman told USA TODAY.
As of Monday morning, there haven’t been any additional arrests or charges regarding the toddler accessing the gun but the Tippecanoe County Prosecutor’s Office is reviewing the case.
Police departments in Lafayette and Cook County are working together on the murder arrest, Hartman said.
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