Mother facing charges after 3-year-old shoots himself

WARREN — A 24-year-old Warren woman is facing charges after a 3-year-old found an unsecured handgun and shot himself in the hand.

At approximately 10:15 p.m. Jan. 20, Warren police responded to Henry Ford Warren Hospital regarding a 3-year-old with a gunshot wound. When officers arrived, they identified the child, who suffered a gunshot wound to the hand, and his mother, Daniellys Villegas-Moreno, according to a press release from the department.

A preliminary investigation revealed that the shooting occurred at the family’s residence at The Cove Apartments, in Warren. According to the press release, officers learned that the child located an unsecured semiautomatic handgun inside the apartment and discharged a single round, striking himself in the hand.

No other injuries were reported.

Investigators executed a search warrant at the apartment, where they recovered the unsecured firearm and other evidence consistent with the accidental discharge, the release states. Investigators are processing additional evidence and working to interview another adult who may have information about the incident, the release states.

Villegas-Moreno was arraigned Jan. 27 by 37th District Court Judge Michael Chupa, who set her bond at $10,000 cash or surety. She is charged with violating the state’s firearms safe storage statute, a five-year felony.

In a statement, Macomb County Prosecutor Peter Lucido said the statute is designed to reduce preventable deaths and injuries, including incidents of youth self-harm and gun-related violence.

“If a firearm is in a household where children could gain access, it must be stored in a locked container or fitted with a device that makes it unusable,” he said.

Villegas-Moreno is scheduled for a probable cause conference on Feb. 10 and a preliminary examination on Feb. 17, both before Chupa.

At press time, she did not have an attorney listed, according to the prosecutor’s office.