While parked outside a Food-4-Less store, a 3-year-old boy while in his car seat and in the back seat of his parent’s car got hold of a gun and began playing with the weapon. It discharged, hitting his mother, 22-year-old Dejah Bennet, in the neck.
Bennet was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center for emergency medical treatment and was pronounced dead by the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office about an hour after her arrival, at approximately 9:34 p.m., the Chicago Tribune reported.
The boy’s father was arrested and admitted the gun was his, Holmes said. Romell Watson, 23, will face misdemeanor gun charges, town officials announced Monday.
He was legally entitled to own the gun but transported the weapon in a vehicle in an unlawful manner, officials said. He is expected to be processed and released from custody Monday night.
