HOLLYWOOD, FLA. (WSVN) - Police have arrested a father and another man after, they said, a 2-year-old boy left unattended inside a Northeast Miami-Dade home shot himself in the stomach.
Caleb Myles and Donte Young-Sang, both 22, appeared in bond court, Friday afternoon. They face charges of aggravated child abuse, child neglect and culpable negligence.
Police said the suspects, who are friends, were in charge of watching the toddler at a home along the 1400 block of Northeast 202nd Street, Thursday evening.
At some point, investigators said, Myles’ son found a gun and shot himself in the abdomen.
After the incident, police said, a neighbor spotted Myles as he put his son in a car screaming.
“While he was getting into that car, screaming frantically, he stated something to the effect that a shooting had occurred,” said Miami-Dade Police Detective Chris Thomas.
At around 6 p.m., investigators said, the neighbor called police.
Investigators said the boy’s father told detectives his son was the victim of a drive-by shooting, but Thomas said this was a lie.
“This was not a drive-by shooting, but this shooting occurred somewhere inside of the residence,” he said.
The child was taken to Aventura Hospital by family. Rescue crews then transported the young patient to Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in stable condition.
“We’re thankful the child is pulling through,” said Thomas.
Friday afternoon, officials said the boy is recovering from his gunshot wound and doing fine.
In bond court, a police detective testified guns were found throughout the entire home.
“It’s known that there are firearms in this house,” said the detective, “and after an investigation and interviews with all parties involved, it’s also known that the guns can be anywhere at any time, not secured.”
Myles faces an additional charge of lying to police.
The detective said that officers went looking for the vehicle that was described by the father when, police said, he lied to them about the drive-by shooting.
“We had numerous resources throughout the entire county looking for this white Nissan Maxima that turned out to not exist,” said the detective.
Great job by our investigators for unraveling this case. However, it is disturbing to see adults be so careless with firearms. Followed by a cover up. #Despicable https://t.co/Tw3v5Xx0Vw
— Juan Perez (@JPerezMia) February 1, 2019
Miami-Dade Police Director Juan Perez took to Twitter to weigh in on the incident, saying, “It is disturbing to see adults so careless with firearms. Followed by a cover up. #Despicable”
According to the arrest form, Myles said he wasn’t with his son at the time because he was taking out the trash.
The Florida Department of Children and Families is investigating this case.
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