Man charged after 5-year-old boy accidentally shoots himself in Kensington
The boy shot himself twice in the leg early Sunday evening at a residence on the 3500 block of Joyce Street, police said.
A Philadelphia man was arrested Monday after his 5-year-old godson accidentally shot himself in the leg with his gun over the weekend, authorities said.
Prosecutors charged Rhamique Topping, 33, with endangering the welfare of a child and recklessly endangering another person after the child got a hold of his gun, which police said was unattended.
The shooting occurred around 5:14 p.m. Sunday at a residence on the 3500 block of Joyce Street in Kensington, where police said the 5-year-old boy shot himself twice in the right leg.
The boy’s mother then took him to St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children, police said, where he was reported in stable condition.
Police responded to the home after receiving an emergency call from the hospital that the child had been shot. Police recovered a gun at the residence that they said is licensed and registered to Topping.
On Monday, prosecutors said the child’s mother, whose name was not released pending her arrest, would also be charged with endangering the welfare of a child, recklessly endangering another person, false reports, and obstructing justice.
Staff writer Robert Moran contributed to this article.