Criminal charges possible after Atlanta 3-year-old shoots himself in face with unattended gun

A 3-year-old boy from southwest Atlanta is in stable condition after being shot in the face in what police are calling a tragic accident.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Friday that the shooting took place sometime after 10:00 p.m. on Thursday at the Allen Hills apartment complex, a gated community located off Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.

Officer John Chafee, a spokesperson for the Atlanta Police Department, told the Journal-Constitution that a preliminary investigation indicates that the boy was playing with the gun in a bedroom by himself when it accidentally discharged. The boy was taken by ambulance to Children's Healthcare at Atlanta's Scottish Rite hospital.

A neighbor reportedly heard the family screaming in the wake of the incident, crying out "The baby shot himself."

Chafee said charges may be pending in the incident.

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