Thursday, March 3, 2011

Toddler who shot himself paralyzed. Girl who hid gun and lied to police sent to group home.

Last year, in early September, a .40-caliber Glock handgun was stolen from the glove compartment of a federal law enforcement officer's car outside his home in Keedysville, Maryland. Three weeks later the gun turned up under a bed in an apartment in Hagerstown. Court documents filed by police don't say if the car and the glove compartment were locked or how the gun ended up in Hagerstown.
2-year-old Mario Longus found the handgun and unintentionally shot himself in the chest. Police arrested Longus' 16-year-old brother, Marcus, and his girlfriend, Fantasia Rivera. They were charged with obstructing police, false statements to police, possession of a firearm by a minor, and possession of a stolen handgun.
After the shooting, Fantasia took the handgun outside and hid it in a playground. This week, a judge ordered the girl be placed in a group home. "Ms. Rivera does suffer a problem with maturity," the State's Assistant Attorney stated.
Mario was initially treated at Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C. His injuries have left him paralyzed from the stomach down. He now lives in a licensed therapeutic foster home.
His older brother, Marcus, is awaiting trial in April.
Ohh shoot.

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