MIAMI (WSVN) - Rescue crews rushed a 4-year-old girl to the hospital after, police said, a sibling grabbed a gun and opened fire in what investigators are calling an accidental shooting. The story has taken a new turn as police have made an arrest in connection with the incident.
According to the Miami-Dade Police Department, 25-year-old Quavanta Ennels, a convicted felon, was in possession of the firearm involved in this incident and has been charged accordingly.
“Sir you were arrested for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon,” said Judge Mindy Glazer.
On Monday, Ennels found out he could be facing more charges following a court hearing.
“Additionally, there may be charges forthcoming for palpable negligence by leaving a firearm within easy access of a minor,” said the prosecutor.
Ennels’ bond was set at $15,000, and when he bonds out, he will be on house arrest.
“He’s upset about a house arrest, in the meantime, there’s a little girl in the hospital who had terrible injuries because he left a fire arm unsecured,” Glazer said.
Officials said an adult was inside the home at the time of the incident off Northwest 21st Avenue in Northwest Miami-Dade, Sunday afternoon. Also inside the residence, detectives said, were the female victim and three other children between the ages of 2 and 6.
“Several people inside of the location screaming,” a dispatcher said in radio transmissions.
Police said a sibling picked up the firearm, which was unsecured in Ennels book bag, police said, and it went off in the direction of the victim, striking her.
“We got a pediatric trauma alert,” a first responder said in radio transmissions.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue crews rushed the young patient to Ryder Trauma Center, where she remains in critical condition, Monday morning.
“We have a small, 4-year-old child now who will not be going to school tomorrow, who will not be enjoying the things that a 4-year-old should be enjoying, because of the negligent firearm ownership,” said MDPD Detective Andre Martin. “We need to take this matter seriously.”
“A bullet flies at a very, very fast rate of speed, and you may think you can get to this firearm in time, and obviously, in situations like this, you cannot,” said Martin.
The incident, Martin said, comes after a similar incident at an apartment complex in Southwest Miami-Dade involving an unattended gun, back on Sept. 24.
“This is another situation like the situation we had not too long ago within our community where, again, a firearm was left unattended, and a young person was hurt,” he said.
In Sunday’s case, detectives said, the gun was within reach.
“The firearm was being stored in this situation in a manner in which it was accessible to the children, which is how this occurred,” said Martin. “The responsibility of owning a firearm is a great one. It is a constitutional right, but the responsible ownership of that firearm is of greater importance.”
Now, due to the negligent ownership of a firearm, another child is fighting for her life.
The Miami-Dade Police Department is actively investigating the circumstances surrounding this incident.
Although Ennels was only charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm, it is likely, prosecutors said, he will face additional charges.
Copyright 2026 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.