SACRAMENTO, CA – A young boy is recovering after accidentally shooting himself in south Sacramento on Friday afternoon. Authorities reported that the child’s mother, Latisha Walker, 26, has been arrested in connection with the dangerous incident.
The charges against Walker include three felonies: possessing a concealed firearm in a vehicle, child endangerment, and improper firearm storage. Her bail has been set at $75,000.
The incident occurred around 1:45 p.m. on the 4500 block of Mack Road. As police responded, nearby business patrons heard the child crying out for assistance.
Shynice Cordoba, a 19-year-old present at a nail salon, recounted hearing the mother’s cries and an indistinct noise but did not hear a gunshot. “I go outside, he’s just laying on the floor. I need something to put pressure on his wound,” Cordoba explained, noting that the child’s mother was distraught.
Witnesses at a neighboring restaurant stated that the mother had briefly stepped inside to pick up a takeout order, just five minutes prior to discovering her son had been shot.
Cordoba comforted the frightened boy by applying pressure to his wound with tissues she had gathered. “He kept saying he shot himself, he shot himself. So I was like, it’s OK you’re not in trouble. It’s fine,” she said. Highlighting her use of the children’s show Paw Patrol to soothe him, Cordoba described how she used the reference to reassure him of help arriving in the form of local police officers.
Police officers promptly arrived on the scene, administering medical aid before the boy was taken to a hospital.
Investigators cordoned off a section of the shopping center and its parking lot for several hours following the incident. Walker was apprehended and booked into the Sacramento County Jail on the same evening. She is scheduled to appear in court for the first time on Wednesday.