Security guard charged with child abuse after 3-year-old is shot in face
A 23-year-old Oakland man has been charged with first-degree criminal firearm storage and child abuse after a 3-year-old was shot in the face with his gun last week, authorities said.
Clarence Kelly pleaded not guilty Tuesday and was released on his own recognizance. He is due back in court April 8 for a pre-trial hearing, according to a spokeswoman for the Alameda County district attorney’s office.
Oakland police officers responded to reports that a 3-year-old had been shot in the face around 4 a.m. March 15, according to court records.
Officers found a loaded firearm registered to Kelly in an unsecured box inside a laundry basket with no gun lock or security mechanism, court documents show.
Three children, ages 3, 10 and 11, live in the residence. Kelly is the older cousin of the child who was shot, according to a report in San Jose’s Mercury News. The child underwent surgery at a hospital and was still hospitalized in stable condition Thursday but is expected to recover, the newspaper reported.
It is unclear who fired the gun, authorities said.
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