LANSING, Mich. — The mother of a child that was shot in the face is speaking out to Fox 47 on Wednesday.
Jaz Miller, mother of King, who was shot on Dec. 3, 2019, says that he is stable and breathing on his own.
Miller told us that he is no longer in the hospital but in a rehabilitation center.
She also said the shooting was an accident, however, she would not tell us who shot the gun.
On Wednesday, Dec. 18, the Ingham County Prosecutor issued criminal charges on Lansing resident Lamarko Davion Joseph, 26.
He was arrested in the case and charged with one count of child abuse in the second degree, one count of a felon in possession of a weapon, and two counts of a felony firearm.
King was 3 when he was shot, but turned 4 on December 16, according to his mother.
He was struggling to breathe when first responders arrived to the scene after being shot in the head.
He was immediately taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.
The shooting happened just before 9 p.m. at the Silver Stone Townhomes near MLK and Hughes Road, at the 5500 block of South MLK.
Police have not ruled out that the shooting might have been accidentally self-inflicted.
Officer Robert Merritt said the case is being reviewed by the Ingham County Prosecutor's Office.
We talked to neighbors of the boy's family last week.
They said it's a quiet neighborhood and they are hoping for a quick recovery for the boy.
Neighbor, Rebecca McKenna said, "That's something that a three-year-old child should never have to go through, it's just absolutely heartbreaking."
Dominque lives close by, she said you wouldn't expect kids to get hurt there.
And Crystal Taylor said she was surprised to hear that the shooting took place. "I was just going through Facebook and I seen about it and I had no idea it even happened by my house. I didn't hear gunshots or anything."
Police say the shooting took place in an apartment where the boy lives, and that there is no threat to the community.
According to reports, Joseph is in police custody due to an unrelated charge. His bond is set at $10,000.
Joseph's next court appearance will be 1 p.m. on Dec. 26 in 54-A District court in front of Judge Alderson.
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