JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A man and woman were arrested in connection with the accidental shooting of a 9-year-old boy by his 6-year-old brother Sunday morning at a home in the Hogan’s Creek neighborhood, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
Farand Nelson, 41, and Rosa Bennett, 29, are charged with culpable negligence by improper storage of a firearm and child neglect. Bennett is also charged with tampering with evidence.
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Much of Nelson’s arrest report is blacked out, but according to police, Nelson gave a statement to JSO and was then arrested.
The shooting happened inside a home on Mount Herman Street.
JSO said the parents and five children were in the home at the time of the shooting, and the parents took the 9-year-old to a hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening.
David Hammock, a neighbor, told News4JAX that he has seen those children in the neighborhood walking their dog plenty of times.
“If it was me and I had kids, I’d put it in a box and hide it. I don’t care if you have to hide it in the attic or dig a hole. Keep the guns away from your kids because you never know if something like this is going to happen,” Hammock said.
Last month there were two cases of children being shot in Jacksonville.
A 3-year-old was shot and killed at an apartment complex on Sept. 23. Days later, a 6-year-old and a 12-year-old were shot while sleeping inside their home. The 6-year-old in that shooting died.