LANCASTER, S.C. (AP) - A South Carolina mother has been sentenced to 4 ½ years in prison after her 2-year-old son shot and killed himself with a gun her boyfriend wasn’t supposed to have because he was a felon.
Toni Gladden cried as she pleaded guilty Wednesday to child neglect and lying to police. She says her 8-year-old daughter misses her younger brother every day.
Prosecutors say Jacarion Gladden found the gun in a Lancaster home in July 2017 and it was small enough to fit in an adult’s palm with no safety.
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Media outlets report Toni Gladden told authorities several different stories, including about a drive-by shooting, before the 27-year-old woman admitted it was her teen boyfriend’s gun.
Shazeem Hayes is serving 8 ½ years in prison on weapons and child neglect charges.
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