A female child is in critical but stable condition after apparently shooting herself with an unsecured handgun Sunday, according to Prince George’s County Police.
Officers found the girl on the 600 block of Brookedge Court in Bowie suffering from a gunshot wound around 4 p.m., police said Sunday on the social media platform X.
Late Monday afternoon, Prince George’s County Police announced it had arrested an 18-year-old man in connection to the case. Elijah Fauntleroy, of Temple Hills, is charged with reckless endangerment and firearms offenses.
Police believe Fauntleroy left a gun unattended in the Brookedge Court home’s living room when the child found it and shot a single round, hitting herself. The girl remains hospitalized Monday, but is expected to make a full recovery, the release says.
Anyone with information on the case is urged to contact the Prince George’s County Police Department’s Gun Crimes Unit at 301-772-8960.
This August, a Baltimore father pleaded guilty to manslaughter after his 2-year-old daughter died after accidentally shooting herself with an unsecured ghost gun, a firearm assembled from pieces. A 3-year-old in Howard County died in July after a similar accidental shooting.
Have a news tip? Contact Racquel Bazos at rbazos@baltsun.com, 443-813-0770 or on X as @rzbworks.