ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – A deputy with the St. Louis City Sheriff’s Department is accused of child endangerment after a 2-year-old used the deputy’s service weapon to shoot himself.
According to the Ferguson Police Department’s probable cause statement, the shooting happened on March 16 at a home in the 1500 block of Knollstone Drive.
Officers received word of a shooting at the residence. When they arrived, officers learned a 25-month-old boy had been taken to the hospital with a gunshot wound to his abdomen.
The child and his mother were visiting the home.
The suspect, James Short (age not provided), lives at the home with his mother and stepfather. Short has been employed as a sheriff’s deputy since November 2023. In December, he was issued a Glock pistol after completing firearms training. Short was supplied with a gun lock and advised to secure the weapon when it was not being carried on his person.
Police claim Short was outside the home while the 2-year-old was left unattended. The child was able to enter Short’s room and find Short’s unsecured pistol.
Police claim Short admitted to leaving his pistol loaded and unattended.
The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged Short with second-degree endangering the welfare of a child. Short was issued a summons to appear in court on May 1.
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