The 6-year-old was airlifted after being taken first to Jackson South Medical Center.
MIAMI-DADE, FL — A 6-year-old boy was recovering Wednesday after deputies said he shot himself with his mother’s handgun Tuesday afternoon inside a home in the West Perrine area of southwest Miami-Dade County.
The shooting led detectives to arrest the boy’s mother, 33-year-old Myeisha Sharie Smith, after investigators said the firearm belonged to her. The case moved from an emergency medical response Tuesday to a criminal child neglect case early Wednesday, as deputies reviewed how the child gained access to the weapon.
Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office deputies and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue crews responded shortly before 4 p.m. Tuesday to a report of a child shot near Southwest 172nd Street and 102nd Avenue. The sheriff’s office later placed the home on the 10100 block of Circle Plaza West, near West Perrine. Investigators said Smith was inside the home when she heard a gunshot. She went into a room and found her son wounded in the shoulder area. Detective Argemis Colome, a sheriff’s office spokesman, said Smith called 911 while driving the child to Jackson South Medical Center. The boy had a gunshot wound near his collarbone or shoulder, deputies said. Fire rescue crews then airlifted him to HCA Florida Kendall Hospital for further treatment.
Deputies said the child’s wound appeared to be self-inflicted. Investigators recovered the handgun and determined it belonged to Smith, the sheriff’s office said. The boy was listed in stable condition after he was taken to the hospital. Officials did not release his name. They also did not say Wednesday where in the room the gun had been kept, whether it had a lock, whether it was loaded before the child found it or whether anyone else was inside the room when the shot was fired. Early reports from the scene said detectives worked into the night to determine whether the weapon had been properly stored. A neighbor, Alexis Brown, said the police response quickly filled the street. “I saw a bunch of police in front of my house,” Brown said.
The shooting happened in a residential section of West Perrine, a southwest Miami-Dade community west of U.S. 1 and near Jackson South Medical Center. The case drew several public safety agencies to the neighborhood because the child first reached one hospital before being transferred by air to another. Jackson South is close to the area where deputies said Smith was driving after the shooting. HCA Florida Kendall Hospital, where the boy was later treated, is a larger trauma destination in the county. By Tuesday evening, deputies remained outside the home as detectives gathered evidence and spoke with people connected to the case. Residents watched from nearby as investigators worked around the property.
Smith was booked early Wednesday at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on one count of felony child neglect with great bodily harm, deputies said. Court records and jail records were expected to show the next steps in the case, including a first appearance, bond status and any release conditions. Investigators had not publicly released a detailed arrest report by Wednesday morning. The sheriff’s office also had not said whether the Florida Department of Children and Families had opened or joined an investigation. Prosecutors will review the evidence before deciding how to proceed with the felony charge. Smith is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
The sheriff’s office account left several questions open, including the exact path of the bullet, whether the child needed surgery and how long he may remain hospitalized. Officials also did not say whether other children lived at the home. The known timeline began around 3:50 p.m. Tuesday, when Smith called 911 while on the way to Jackson South, according to deputies. The next major step came after the child was flown to Kendall for treatment. Detectives then recovered the firearm, identified Smith as its owner and continued the investigation overnight. By early Wednesday, the case had shifted from a shooting investigation to an arrest on a child neglect charge.
As of Wednesday, the boy was alive and stable, and Smith remained tied to a pending felony case in Miami-Dade County. The next milestone is her first court appearance, where a judge can address bond, release conditions and the early schedule for the criminal case.
Author note: Last updated May 13, 2026.