MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office says a child shot off his finger early Monday morning after getting hold of a stolen gun inside his home.
Deputies were called to a house in the 4400 block of Boone Manjor Drive just after midnight and arrested the child’s father, Corey Jackson.
Deputies have not said how old the child is but said when they got there, Jackson was holding the boy on his lap. They said the child was crying loudly, and the middle finger on his right hand was missing and bleeding profusely.
Jackson told investigators he was showering when his son got a loaded handgun from the top drawer of a dresser in his bedroom. Jackson said he heard a loud noise, jumped out of the shower, and saw his son’s right hand bleeding with a finger missing.
The victim’s grandmother said she also heard a loud noise coming from her son’s bedroom and saw her son holding her grandson’s right hand, which was bleeding.
The child was taken to Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in stable condition.
Deputies said they found a gun on the floor near Jackson’s dresser that turned out to be stolen.
Jackson has also been charged with theft of property and unlawful possession of a firearm. He is being held on a $2,000 bond and is scheduled to be arraigned on Tuesday.
The Shelby County Gun Council on Gun Safety reminds residents to lock up their guns. The group is mailing free gun locks – one per household – to those who live in Shelby County.
If you’d like to order a gun lock, you can order one from the Shelby County government.
