Uncle charged after 3-year-old shoots self outside Hialeah Home Depot, cops say

HIALEAH, Fla. – A 14-time convicted felon from northwest Miami-Dade might grow to be a 16-time convicted felon after his 3-year-old nephew shot himself with a gun he left in a backpack whilst he went buying groceries in Hialeah, government say.

Wearing an anti-suicide vest, Cedric Hightower, 43, confronted a Miami-Dade pass judgement on on Thursday after police arrested him previous within the week.

According to an arrest file from the Hialeah Police Department, the incident came about final Friday on the Home Depot at 950 SE twelfth St., simply northeast of Miami International Airport.

The file states that the kid’s oldsters picked up Hightower and took him to the house development retailer, the place he went within to shop for vegetation.

But Hightower left a backpack in the back of, police stated — and it had a gun within.

Police stated after Hightower were given out, the kid’s oldsters reported listening to a “loud bang” and grew to become round to peer the kid “crying and bleeding profusely from his left thumb.”

Investigators consider the boy used to be enjoying with the backpack when the gun went off, in line with police.

The kid’s oldsters referred to as for assist, police stated, and medics took the kid to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center for remedy.

Authorities stated Hightower fled earlier than officials arrived. Miami-Dade police later situated him at an condominium within the Brownsville space Monday and took him to some of the company’s stations.

HPD detectives went to the station and took him to their headquarters, the place he instructed government that he heard the “loud bang” as he walked again to the automobile, the file states. Authorities redacted further statements from the file however said that Hightower “confessed.”

Miami-Dade Judge Mindy Glazer discovered possible purpose to rate Hightower with felon in ownership of a firearm and leaving a firearm inside of simple get right of entry to of a minor.

“Look, I understand it’s an accident, but you’re a convicted felon and you’re not supposed to have a gun,” Glazer stated. “I understand you said you found that backpack that had the gun and money in it, but it was obviously very—it’s very unfortunate what happened. I hope the child will be OK.”

Glazer discovered no possible purpose to rate Hightower with kid overlook inflicting nice physically hurt, discovering that the boy used to be no longer underneath his care on the time, a demand for the legal rate.

Hightower’s prior convictions, in line with the Florida Department of Corrections, come with counts of marketing medicine close to a Miami-Dade college; he spent just about six years locked up.

She ordered him to steer clear of the sufferer, his house and faculty and gave him a $12,500 overall bond.

A protection lawyer requested Glazer all over Thursday’s listening to whether or not she would believe area arrest as a substitute.

“Absolutely not,” the pass judgement on answered. “He’s a convicted felon and has a firearm and now this child probably lost his thumb. He’s lucky he still has his life.”