ST. PAUL, Minn. (KMSP) - Washington Vue, 32, faces a child endangerment charge after his 3-year-old son allegedly shot a Glock 20 handgun into his neighbor's home.
According to a complaint filed in Ramsey County, on January 18, officers responded to a home on the 1800 block of Conway Street on a report that a bullet hole was found in a home's siding.
The man who called police told officers his father heard a gunshot around 6 p.m. the previous evening, and that Vue later came over to make sure everyone was okay. Vue told them his son had accidentally fired a gun in the direction of their home.
Officers went next door to talk to Vue, who showed them his Glock 20. Vue told officers he'd been cleaning the gun in his bedroom when he put it down on his bed and went downstairs to get cleaning supplies. A short time later, he heard gunfire.
"Vue ran back to his bedroom and found his 3-year-old son had picked up the gun and fired it into the wall," the complaint says. "Once Vue calmed down and made sure his family was okay he went over to check on his neighbors."
Ramsey County attorney John Choi charged Vue with endangerment of a child, adding the incident reminds him of other situations that have been much worse involving a child getting a hold of a loaded gun and being severely injured or killed.
"We still have to recognize this defendant is going to remember this for the rest of his life. I'm sure this person is recognizing how lucky he is. But at the same time, we have an obligation to enforce the law," Choi said.
A search of court records doesn't reveal any prior criminal record.
http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/story/28262305/3-year-old-allegedly-shot-gun-into-st-paul-neighbors-home