A Gwinnett County mother faces a criminal charge after her 4-year-old son shot himself in the hand with a gun he pulled from a car’s glovebox while she was on the phone.
What Happened: On Feb. 18, officers responded to a location on Braselton Highway in Dacula after a 4-year-old was shot. Nicole Johnson, 29, of Winder, told police she was eating breakfast with her son in the car when the child retrieved a handgun from the glovebox and fired it, hitting himself in the hand.
What’s Important: The child was taken to the hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening. Johnson has been charged with reckless conduct. She was booked into the Gwinnett County Jail and released on bond.
The Charge: Reckless conduct in Georgia is a misdemeanor that applies when someone causes harm or creates a serious risk of harm to another person or their property. It carries a maximum penalty of 12 months in jail and a $1,000 fine.
The Path Forward: Johnson will face prosecution in Gwinnett County court. The case adds to a pattern of incidents in Georgia where children have accessed unsecured firearms. While state law does not require guns to be locked or stored in any particular way. The law does allow prosecution when a child’s access to a gun results in injury or death.
