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Woman charged after allegedly leaving gun with boy who shot 9-year-old half-brother
Woman charged after allegedly leaving gun with boy who shot 9-year-old half-brother
MILWAUKEE -- A 30-year-old woman has been charged for allegedly leaving a loaded firearm near a six-year-old boy who shot his nine-year-old half-brother on Wednesday, September 21st. Police say the man who owns the firearm remains missing.
Nicole Jackson
Police arrested Nicole Jackson at the home following the shooting that took place at a home near 20th and Hadley -- and appeared in court on Saturday, September 24th.
Authorities say the nine-year-old boy was shot in the back and neck and taken to the hospital for treatment of serious injuries.
Shooting at 20th and Hadley: 9-year-old boy shot by juvenile family member
According to the criminal complaint, Jackson told police the six-year-old boy accidentally shot the nine-year-old boy, and that the firearm was located on top of a kitchen cabinet. Authorities searched the home and located a black semi-automatic pistol on top of a cabinet. When officials asked Jackson who owned the firearm, Jackson stated it belonged to her, and that she put the gun on top of the kitchen cabinet earlier in the day because she was doing some cleaning in her room.
Nicole Jackson in court
Authorities say they asked Jackson if the firearm belonged to the six-year-old boy's father, 39-year-old Dominique Phillips, she responded "no" and told police Phillips had not been in the home for approximately two to three months. However, when Jackson was interviewed again, she admitted the gun belonged to Phillips -- and told police she last saw him with the gun approximately one week prior.
Investigators also interviewed the nine-year-old victim in the hospital. According to the criminal complaint, the boy stated to police that the gun was Phillips, and that he saw him put the gun on top of the cabinet where his half-brother found it. The nine-year-old boy told police his little brother stood on the kitchen table, holding the gun, and then fired. The boy said "he felt pain and heard his brother crying."
Officials say the nine-year-old boy also stated he caught his six-year-old half-brother playing with the gun approximately three weeks prior to the shooting, and he told him not to touch it because it was a dangerous weapon.
Police investigated the scene as neighbors watched.
"It's just sad. It's just sad. You should not have guns in the house for kids to play with," said Denise Marshall, neighbor.
Shooting at 20th and Hadley: 9-year-old boy shot by juvenile family member
It was determined the six-year-old boy used a chair in the kitchen to climb up on the cabinet to reach the gun.
Authorities did not find a lock box or gun safe anywhere in the residence.
39-year-old Dominique Phillips has not been arrested, and police have not been able to locate him. A warrant for his arrest was issued on Saturday, September 24th.
Phillips is facing the following charges:
Nicole Jackson in court
30-year-old Nicole Jackson is facing one count of leaving/storing a firearm near a child. She also has been ordered to have no contact with Phillips.