FORT WORTH, Texas _ A 35-year-old Mineral Wells, Texas, man is accused of making available a handgun that his young son used to accidentally shot himself in the leg last month.
The 4-year-old boy who survived suffered a gunshot wound to his left calf in the April 21 incident at a residence in Millsap.
His father could not explain to deputies with the Parker County Sheriff's Office why the handgun was unsecured and accessible to children.
The father was identified as Joshua Plumlee of Mineral Wells who was arrested Tuesday.
Deputies began an investigation on the morning of April 21 after being called to the Palo Pinto General Hospital emergency room about a shooting.
Plumlee told deputies he and his children were in a bedroom where he had left a .36-caliber revolver in a holster on a nightstand.
The father told deputies he turned his back and the 4-year-old got out of bed, grabbed the handgun and crawled back onto the bed.
At some point, the boy fired the weapon.
Plumlee turned around and saw blood coming from his son's leg. A 6-year-old child in the bedroom was not injured. The mother was in the shower at the time of the shooting.
Immediately, the father drove his son to the hospital.
At the hospital, Plumlee told investigators he had allowed both children to handle the weapon and showed them how to operate it as a form of gun safety.
No charges will be filed against the mother, Sheriff Larry Fowler said in a news release.
Under state law, when a child is injured from an unsecured weapon because of a parent's negligence, authorities must wait at least seven days before making an arrest, Fowler said.
"We are fortunate that the bullet missed all major arteries, and there was no broken bones," Fowler said in the news release. "Proper gun safety education is essential when owning any weapon but is particularly crucial in homes where children reside."
Plumlee remained in the Parker County Jail Wednesday in lieu of $2,000 bail.
