Toddler shot himself in Homestead, cops say. His mother — a police officer — was arrested
A Miami-Dade Schools police officer was arrested after her 3-year-old son shot himself in Homestead on Sunday.
Stephanie Alondra Jerez, 25, is facing a child neglect with great bodily harm charge after her toddler shot himself in the foot at around 1:55 p.m. at a home in the 2600 block of Southeast 10th Street, police say.
She’s “relieved” of duty pending the outcome of the investigation, said Elmo Lugo, a spokesperson for Miami-Dade County Public Schools.
READ MORE: 3-year-old shot in Homestead, police say. The toddler is in the hospital
Jerez told investigators that she was making breakfast when she heard a shot and saw her son’s foot was injured, according to an arrest report. She also said she always stores her gun away from the child.
But when police arrived at the home, they located the Glock 9mm handgun on the kitchen counter, where it could’ve been within the child’s reach, the report says.
The gun wasn’t secured in a case or a holster.
Bullet fragments and blood were also found inside the house, according to the report. Jerez’s service radio, also on the countertop, was near the gun — and a pool of blood.
Jerez, who’s being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center as of Monday afternoon, had her bond set at $5,000, court records show. She was also ordered not to possess firearms or ammunition unless they’re work related.
