NO CHARGES for Mom after little boy finds her gun & shoots himself in the head

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- A child got a hold of his mother's gun and has been in the hospital since. The family learned this week that his mother will not be charged in the case.

At 106th and Heather Avenue -- the course of a young life, and the state of a Milwaukee family was drastically changed.

"Right now he's out the grave ... so that's good to hear," said Jane Triplett, the boy's grandmother.

Since May 3rd, three-year-old Kevin Donald has straddled the line between grave and critical condition.

"Surgery Monday. They had to rush him back into emergency surgery (Thursday)," said Triplett.

Triplett hopes and prays for improvement after the child shot himself in the head after he got his hands on his mother's gun -- stashed in a vehicle's glove compartment.

"She just got out the car, took the TV in her house. We didn't know our grandbaby played in the car," said Triplett.

Triplett says about two or three years ago, her daughter (the child's mother) was targeted in an incident that went unreported to police, but shook her daughters sense of security.

"Someone tried to carjack her and that's why she carries her gun with her," said Triplett.

Days after the shooting, former Milwaukee police officer and current Alderman, Robert Puente, issued a statement saying:"The boy's mother faces misdemeanor charges for leaving the gun unsecured and loaded in the vehicle. I now intend to push for felony charges in such cases."

"It shouldn't be pushed to no felony," said Triplett.

Triplett says the punishment is too severe for an incident like this.

This week, the boy's mother learned she will not face charges.

"That was a little burden up off her ... and like I said, accidents can happen," said Triplett.

Triplett didn't comment on the reasons given by the prosecutor's office for no charges in this case. Instead, she's focusing on her grandson's serious health battles.

"We suffering enough. We still suffering. We don't know the outcome of my grandbaby or anything," said Triplett.

FOX6 reached out to the District Attorney's Office for comment on this story, but they were unavailable.

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