A northwest Atlanta mother was arrested Thursday in connection with the shooting death of her 1-year-old son.
The child, Saint Bail, was critically injured Jan. 12 when another child in a Harwell Road home found an unsecured gun and fired it, according to Atlanta police. The 1-year-old was shot once and rushed to a hospital, where he died three days later.
Amaiya Dachanel Williams, 21, is facing a charge of murder in the second degree in her death. She was booked into the Fulton County Jail on Thursday, online records show.
“It is important to know that to date, the City of Atlanta Police Department has had several instances in which persons have contributed to injury or death as a result of irresponsible gun ownership, and having left guns unattended where they could be accessed by children,” homicide unit commander Ralph Woolfolk said in a recorded statement.
“We want to take this opportunity to remind people to please secure your weapons,” he added.
Since November, at least four children have been shot by other children or have shot themselves in Atlanta. In one of those cases, the Nov. 13 death of 8-year-old Kayden Jones, a juvenile boy was arrested on charges of murder and cruelty to children. The others were accidental discharges with unsecured weapons, according to police.
A 1-year-old boy was injured Dec. 10 when another child got hold of a gun in a home on Landrum Drive in southwest Atlanta. The boy’s mother was upstairs and the two children were playing downstairs, police said.
Two weeks later, a 5-year-old boy was injured Dec. 23 at the Camden Vantage Apartments on Jackson Street after he found a gun and fired a round into his foot. His grandmother took him to Atlanta Medical Center after the shooting, according to police.
“Our detectives will conduct a diligent investigation, and any persons that might have contributed to these types of injuries or death involving persons in a residence — as a result of irresponsible gun ownership and having left weapons unattended — you will be charged,” Woolfolk said.
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