ROWAN COUNTY, N.C. — A mother is facing charges after her four-year-old son shot himself in the hand with an unsecured gun, deputies said.
On Tuesday, deputies with the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office said they responded to a call about an injured child who was transported to Atrium Health Cabarrus.
The sheriff’s office said deputies ultimately determined the four-year-old’s injury was a gunshot wound.
Their investigation found the child was alone with his mother, 23-year-old Sara Elise Rennie, when he grabbed an unsecured gun at home and shot himself in the hand.
Detectives found the gun in the home and notified the Rowan County Department of Social Services.
Deputies charged Rennie with failure to store a firearm to protect minors and felony child neglect.
She’s being held at the Rowan County Jail under a $30,000 secured bond.
Thankfully, the child is expected to recover and was transferred to Levine Children’s Hospital for further treatment, investigators said.
The Rowan County Sheriff’s Office works with Project Child Safe, an organization that provides gunlocks free of charge to residents.
Deputies said locks can be acquired in person at the sheriff’s office in Salisbury and at their training center in Landis on Central Avenue.
You can also visit Project Child Safe’s website for more tips on how to safely store firearms with children in the home.
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