Milwaukee prosecutors charged a 42-year-old man in the unintended shooting death of a 2-year-old girl April 29.
Carlouius M. Durant told police he left his gun unattended when the child used it and shot herself. Durant is charged with neglecting a child, consequence is death, in the child’s shooting.
Durant was in a relationship with the child’s grandmother and lived in the same home, according to the complaint.
Authorities continue to investigate the shooting, including whether the child had the physical ability to fire the gun at herself, the complaint said.
If convicted, Durant would face up to a $100,000 fine and 25 years in prison.
The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office has not yet identified the child.
According to the criminal complaint:
Milwaukee police detectives interviewed Durant, the child’s mother and others in the home at the time of the shooting. The child’s mother, three teenage uncles and grandma also lived in the home, along with Durant.
Durant told police he and his brother had returned home from running errands when he left his gun on the couch. Durant left to use the bathroom when he heard the gunshot and discovered the child was shot. The two men rushed the child to the hospital.
The brother told police Durant was screaming he left his gun on the couch, and the child shot herself with the gun. Others in the house at the time included the three uncles, who described hearing the gunshot and seeing the aftermath.
Police found two guns in the home, one left between two mattresses in a bedroom, and another that was secured.
Durant being charged with a felony child neglect follows a trend of the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office, according to a 2024 Journal Sentinel analysis. The office’s prosecutors often issue harsher charges than in other parts of the state, arguing a conviction bars future gun ownership.
A Milwaukee court commissioner set Durant’s bail at $20,000. He is scheduled for his next court hearing May 11.
David Clarey is a public safety reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He can be reached at dclarey@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee man charged in unintended shooting of 2-year-old
Reporting by David Clarey, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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