Editor’s Note: The story has been updated with corrected information about who hid the gun.
Cincinnati police arrested the man in connection with a 2-year-old who was shot this weekend in what Chief Teresa Theetge called “negligence by a gun owner” to secure their firearm.
Officers say the child was shot with a handgun around noon on May 31, according to a department news release. Officers responded to the 2500 block of Nottingham Road in the Villages at Roll Hill after a call was made about the shooting.
When they arrived, they found the toddler with a gunshot wound. The child was taken to Cincinnati Children’s Medical Center and is in stable condition, the news release says.
Carmelo Anderson, 21, is charged with tampering with evidence.
Court documents state Anderson gave the handgun to someone and told them to “get rid of it.”
Chief, long advocate for safe storage, calls for citizens to lock their guns
Chief Theetge said she is “outraged and heartbroken” about the shooting and called for citizens to safely secure their guns away from children.
“Fellow Cincinnatians, I urge you to help spread the word: firearms must be secured, before another child pays the price,” Theetge said in a statement June 2. “This is not just a call to action – it is a duty we all share. The time to act is now.”
Theetge and the City of Cincinnati have long been advocates in Ohio for efforts to curb gun violence, including tougher regulations on the safe storage of firearms to keep them away from children.
A 2023 ordinance by the city to regulate gun storage, under existing child endangerment laws, was blocked by an Ohio state appeals court. State law bans most local gun regulations, the court said in 2024 ruling.
The ordinance stated firearms should not be stored where “a child is able to gain access to the firearm,” and that failing to do so creates a substantial risk to the health and safety of a child. It was written to allow charges to be filed even if no one is hurt in an incident.
“Thank God this child is still alive,” Theetge said of the May 31 shooting. “I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: this cannot keep happening. We have a shared responsibility to protect our innocent, curious children.”
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Man charged with tampering with evidence after 2-year-old was shot
Reporting by David Ferrara, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
