A father appeared in court Friday on misdemeanor charges related to the shooting of his 17-month-old daughter. The man’s 3-year-old son shot the child three weeks ago, authorities said.
Justin Carper was charged Feb. 21 with failure to secure a firearm to protect a minor, said Cleveland County Sheriff's Office Capt. Joel Shores. Carper previously wrote a parenting column for The Star newspaper in Shelby.
His son shot his daughter Feb. 6 at the family's home near Patterson Springs. Carper left a 9 mm handgun in what he thought was a secret compartment on top of his dresser, authorities previously said. His 3-year-old found the gun and pulled the trigger, injuring the 17-month-old’s shoulder.
The child was taken to the hospital but did not suffer life-threatening injuries, Carper said. Carper was not arrested on the charges but given a summons to appear.
“We didn’t feel he was a danger to society and felt he obviously had been traumatized and learned a valuable lesson,” Shores said.
Reach Jessica Pickens at 704-669-3332 or jpickens@shelbystar.com.