A 3-year-old child is in critical condition but is expected to recover after reportedly accidentally shooting himself in the head as his parents slept, his mother said.
The toddler's mother, Dorphise Jean, told NBC South Florida that her son, Darnal Mundy, got a chair and climbed into a drawer where she kept a loaded gun. She and the boy's father were asleep at the time. She believes her son may have been looking for his iPad to play with.
"I love you Darnal, please stay with me," Jean said. "He's all I got."
The incident occurred around 6 a.m. Tuesday inside an apartment located in the 100 block of Northeast 71st Street in Miami, said a Miami Police Department representative.
The department is investigating the shooting, and has not made it clear yet whether they believe Darnal actually shot himself.
The mother told NBC 6 that she works as a security guard, but kept the gun in the house for safety reasons.
When asked whether the drawer was locked, Jean responded, "No, it's a drawer. It's drawer." She also said the gun was in a place that was eight drawers high.
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She said she and the child's father were woken up by the loud bang. They found Darnal with a gunshot wound to the head and rushed the child to Jackson Memorial Hospital, even crashing into a car along the way.
The mother indicated the boy was alert and crying all the way to the hospital. The child was listed in critical condition.
"He's my only baby, please," Dorphise Jean pleaded. "I prayed to God all day."
The hospital called police once Darnal arrived where he was rushed into surgery, police said.
"Right now it's a very fresh investigation. We're still trying ascertain who was there and figure out how this child shot himself or who shot him," a Miami Police Department representative explained.
Miami Police indicated Wednesday that the boy's brain swelling has come down and that doctors expect him to make a full recovery.
There's no word yet on whether the parents will face any charges.
This is a developing story and will be updated as new information becomes available.
