Evansville mother arrested after 3-year-old child finds gun, accidentally shoots self

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WISH) — The mother of a 3-year-old child was arrested Wednesday after her child accidentally shot themself, the Evansville Police Department said on Facebook Thursday.

The child was last said to be in good condition.

According to the post, at around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, EPD officers were sent to St. Vincent Hospital in the 3700 block of Washington Street in Evansville after being informed a 3-year-old child had been accidentally shot in the head.

The child’s mom, Porsha Walker, told investigators that she had found a box with a handgun inside in the yard of her home. She brought the gun inside and put it on her dresser.

Walker then told investigators that the 3-year-old had gotten ahold of the gun while she was with her two other children, and the gun went off when the child was holding it.

Walker told officers that instead of calling emergency services, she called family members to pick them up and take them to the hospital.

Walker gave officers her consent to go to her home and retrieve the gun. While there, police found a large plastic bag in the closet of the child’s bedroom. The bag contained about 290 grams of methamphetamine, almost 5 grams of marijuana, and a scale.

After retrieving a search warrant, investigators found two more bags of marijuana inside a pack-n-play in the master bedroom.

Detectives also found the handgun that the child had fired in the kitchen, which had been reported stolen out of a vehicle in March.

Walker was then arrested and is facing charges of neglect of a dependent causing serious bodily injury, dealing methamphetamine, and theft of a firearm. Her three children were placed in the care of the Department of Child Services.

Walker was being held at the Vanderburgh County jail with a $10,000 bond, but has since been released. Her initial hearing was set for Tuesday.