Man arrested after 3-year-old boy shot in Richmond
Police believe the shooting was accidental
RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) -Richmond Police have arrested a 29-year-old Friday in connection to a shooting that injured a 3-year-old boy last Thursday.
Just before 10 a.m., on Nov. 16, officers were called to Raven Street for the report of a person shot.
“Officers arrived and found a 3-year-old male, who was brought to the walkway of an apartment complex by family members, suffering from an apparent gunshot wound,” Richmond Police said.
The child was taken to the hospital with a non-life-threatening injury.
“It is believed, at this time, the child was injured accidentally while in an apartment,” police said Thursday afternoon. “While this investigation will continue, detectives are not currently looking for any suspects.”
On Friday, Nov. 24, police arrested Joshua Aaron Reilly in connection to the shooting.
He has been charged with:
- A misdemeanor charge of allowing a child access to firearms
- A felony charge of possession of a Schedule I or II Controlled Substance
- A felony charge of possession of a firearm while in Possession of a Schedule I or II Controlled Substance.
“When you talk about a 3-year-old being accidentally shot, this just highlights how important it is for us to make sure that if you have a weapon, you need to take steps to secure it,” Chief Edwards said.
Police say more charges may come.
13-year-old Jahnee Grays helped apply a compress to the child’s wound to try to save his life. She says she and her family heard panic screams from across the street right after it happened, but they never heard a gunshot.
“That’s like a little brother to me,” Grays said. “We was in the house, and we heard screaming. Then we came outside, the baby was lifting up, and then he lay back down. He didn’t wake up; he had a little hole in his back his neck, and then my mom wanted to go get a shirt. We put pressure on the back of his neck because now he wasn’t waking up.”
Police say they are not looking for any more suspects. Anyone with additional information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 804-780-1000 or contact Detective D. Davenport at (804) 646-4494.
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