Beech Grove father charged after video shows 4-year-old boy with gun

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Formal charges have been filed in the criminal case against Shane Osborne, the Beech Grove man whose four-year-old son was seen on video waving a handgun in an apartment building.

Osborne, 45, faces felony charges of dangerous control of a firearm and two counts of child neglect, according to a probable cause affidavit submitted by the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office.

On Friday night, police were called to Osborne’s apartment building after a neighbor told dispatchers there was a child in a diaper playing with a gun in a hallway.

When questioned by police, Osborne — who was in his underwear — denied having a gun. Police looked quickly around the apartment, but found no sign of the firearm.

“Next, a neighbor showed police their doorbell video. Confronted by police a second time about the gun, Osborne said he never brought a gun into the apartment, but that his cousin has. His cousin was not in the apartment when police visited,” I-Team 8’s Kody Fisher reported Tuesday.

Osborne gave police permission to search his apartment. A few minutes into the search, the 4-year-old boy showed officers where the gun was hidden.

“Officer [Redacted] was with the boy in his bedroom and asked the child where he put his toy while displaying his hand in the form of a gun,” court papers say. “The boy then walked out of the bedroom and into the living room, where he went to a roll-top desk and said ‘pew pew,’ while motioning toward the desk. Osborne then opened the roll-top desk, exposing a silver and black handgun. The gun was just as described and appeared to be the one observed in the surveillance video.”

The weapon, identified by police as a Smith & Wesson 9 mm handgun, was found “to have no round in the chamber, but it did contain 15 live rounds in the magazine,” according to the probable cause affidavit.

Osborne told police he did not know the weapon was in the apartment and that he did not own any firearms because he was a convicted felon. Court papers say he admitted to allowing the weapon inside his home “from time to time,” and his fingerprints would be on it because he previously handled it.

Osborne was arrested early Saturday and was transported to the Marion County Jail.

The police investigation, including the neighbor’s doorbell video, Osborne’s interactions with police, and the search of the apartment were shown on live television in a nationally broadcast episode of the reality show “On Patrol: Live” on Reelz.

“Far too often, we see cases involving small children having access to firearms. Too many children in our community are placed at risk as a result of irresponsible gun ownership. The alleged conduct is an egregious example of the importance of practicing safe storage,” Prosecutor Ryan Mears said in a statement Wednesday.

The Marion County Prosecutors Office also filed a motion Wednesday asking for a higher than normal bond. They said Osborne represented a physical threat to his child, neighbors, and their children based on the allegations.

They also asked for a higher than normal bond because of Osborne’s criminal history.

According to court records, Osborne has spent time in prison for forgery and theft.

On Jan. 5, Osborne plead guilty to domestic battery in Henry County. The victim in that case told police Osborne body slammed her to the ground during an argument.

A preliminary hearing for the gun and child neglect charges is scheduled for Thursday afternoon.