A Louisiana mother, Arieana Scott, 22, has been arrested amid allegations that she heard her four-year-old son shooting himself. Instead of checking on him, she went back to sleep. The incident occurred in her Baton Rouge home where the boy gained access to a firearm stored in the bedroom closet.
On the morning of March 20 around 9:30 am, the boy shot himself with the unsecured, illegal, modified handgun, according to police reports. Initially, officers were told by the mother that she heard the firearm discharge from her bedroom and then discovered the boy with a gunshot wound. However, an affidavit released Thursday for her arrest reveals that she went to sleep for a short time before waking up again to find the boy in a pool of blood.
Arieana Scott, aged 22, was arrested following allegations that she heard her four-year-old son shooting himself, yet chose to return to sleep rather than checking on him.
Scott stated that she called out for the boy, but upon receiving no response, she fell back asleep. It emerged that Scott attempted to disavow knowledge of the gun’s origin due to her felony criminal record, as reported by WBRZ.
Subsequently, she confessed to possessing the unsecured handgun in her bedroom closet, though she professed ignorance regarding how the four-year-old accessed it, according to police statements. Upon the police’s arrival and the discovery of the gun, they procured a warrant to search Scott’s residence.
During the search, authorities uncovered a loaded .40 caliber Glock handgun with a ‘switch’ capable of converting the firearm into an automatic weapon, and a shell casing was recovered from the boy’s bedroom. Furthermore, police found a significant quantity of marijuana, packaged in smaller bags for distribution.
Initially, Scott attempted to fabricate a narrative, claiming the marijuana belonged to her boyfriend for personal use, before admitting she was aware it was intended for distribution.
Currently, the suspect is detained in East Baton Rouge Parish Prison, facing multiple charges related to the shooting incident.
On the morning of March 20th around 9:30 am, the boy accidentally shot himself with an unsecured, illegal, modified handgun in Scott’s Baton Rouge home.
At first, law enforcement reported that the mother asserted she heard the firearm discharge from her bedroom and subsequently discovered the boy with a gunshot wound.
Shortly before awakening again, she found the boy surrounded by a pool of blood.
Scott was charged by police with improper supervision of a minor by a parent, possession of a firearm by a person convicted of certain felonies, and possession of a machine gun. Additionally, due to the discovery of marijuana at her residence, she also faces charges of possession of a firearm in the presence of a controlled dangerous substance and possession with intent to distribute schedule one drugs.
Her bond has been set at $65,000, and Child Services has been alerted.
Scott’s son sustained a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his head and is presently hospitalized in critical condition at a local medical facility.
