Man Charged After Police Say 3-Year-Old Accidentally Shot, Killed Self

MILWAUKEE, WI — On July 1, a mother was awoken by the sound of a gunshot from the next room over in her house near 20th Street and Juneau Avenue. She soon found her 3-year-old son, who police said accidentally shot himself, bleeding out.

Police were called out to the home just before 5 a.m. that day. The woman told officers her 3-year-old son was just shot in the head, a criminal complaint said. Police found the boy unresponsive in the living room and applied pressure to his wound until firefighters arrived and took the boy to the hospital. Within hours, the boy was pronounced dead at Children's Hospital.

A Milwaukee man, identified as 28-year-old Raheem Moore, is now facing charges of neglecting a child, second-degree reckless homicide, and possession of a firearm by a felon in connection with the fatal shooting of that morning. If convicted, Moore could face over 25 years in prison.

Police say their investigation found the child was shot by a loaded gun that Moore, a convicted felon, left unattended, the complaint said.

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The mother told police she went to bed around 11 p.m. the night before and that her two kids were asleep in their bedroom as Moore remained in the living room watching television. She was woken up by the gunshot around 4:30 a.m., according to the complaint.

When the mother went to investigate, Moore was still asleep—she saw her son on the floor and screamed, waking Moore up, according to the complaint. She ran out of the home to call 911.

An officer tasked with searching the home found a red duffel bag containing multiple guns in the home's basement, the complaint said. The mother who called told police she lived with her boyfriend, Moore, and her two children, according to the complaint.

The mother told police that Moore owned a firearm inside the home, a black and tan gun, according to the complaint. She also told police the red duffel bag was owned by Moore, the complaint said.

Inside the red bag police say they found three guns, two were loaded, the complaint said. Police also found a gun box under the living room couch, an empty gun box on the television stand, plus gun cases in one of the bedrooms, according to the complaint.

The mother told police she did not own any guns and that she was scared of them, the complaint said. When asked why Moore left the home after the boy was shot, she told police "because he is a felon," the complaint said.

The mother told police that the boy was a night owl. He would often roam the house at night playing on a tablet, the complaint said.