A mother has been arrested and charged after her 12-year-old son accidentally shot his nine-year-old sister with an unsecured gun which may have belonged to her boyfriend. Catrease Thomas, 33, from Newark, New Jersey is facing charges of endangering the welfare of a child and possession of a weapon after the horrific accident, which was not fatal. dailymail reports Her daughter was taken to hospital after the deadly shooting and is in critical condition, fighting for her life.
According to police, Thomas was in the shower when her 12-year-old son found the fully loaded 9mm handgun and accidentally shot his nine-year-old sister with it. A source told ABC 7 Eyewitness News that the gun is thought to belong to the mother's boyfriend, who wasn't home at the time. However, it is unclear if the gun was legally owned or not. Police arrived at the house on Renner Avenue at noon on Saturday where they found a nine-year-old girl with a gunshot wound to the chest. She was then taken to hospital where she remains.
Later, the mother was seen being taken away by police officers along with two young boys. Neighbors described her as a 'real nice lady.' Leon Seaborn, a neighbor said: ‘The mom is a real nice lady - she stays in the house and takes care of the kids, she's not in the streets.’ Minister Thomas Ellis, who also lives in the neighborhood and runs an anti-gun coalition in the area called ‘Enough is Enough’ described it as 'sad.' He said: ‘Another child. It's sad that people will allow people to keep guns in their house unprotected.’ ‘She was a good person, and I hate to see that happened to her and the kids.’ ‘I would hope that someone would own up and take responsibility for the gun,’ he added.
Newark's Police Director said in a statement: ‘We are all outraged that this senseless shooting has occurred, an incident that could have easily been avoided, but for the carelessness of two adults.’
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