Security guard charged in shooting of 3-year-old
OAKLAND CA March 23 2019 — A 23-year-old security guard will be prosecuted on felony charges that his unsecured pistol was the gun that fired a shot that hit his 3-year-old cousin in the face March 15 at their East Oakland home, according to authorities and court records.
The boy underwent surgery at a hospital. He was still hospitalized in stable condition Thursday and is expected to recover.
The suspect, Clarence Kelly, has been charged with first-degree criminal firearm storage and child abuse, according to court records.
He pleaded not guilty to the charges Tuesday and was released on his own recognizance, authorities said. He is scheduled to return to court April 8 for a pretrial hearing.
According to authorities, police were called to a home in the 1500 block of 57th Avenue about 4 a.m. March 15 on a report of the 3-year-old being badly injured. Officers later determined that the child’s injury came when he suffered a gunshot wound to the face.
Authorities said the boy’s two older brothers, ages 10 and 11, were present when the shooting happened, but it is still not clear who was handling the gun when the boy was shot.
According to court records, before the shooting the gun was laying unsecured on a table by the home’s front door.
Court records state the loaded gun, which is registered to Kelly, was found later in Kelly’s room in an unsecured box in a laundry basket with no gun lock or firearm security mechanism.
Kelly was arrested later March 15 when he returned home from the hospital, authorities said.
Kelly listed his occupation as a security guard on jail records, but authorities have not said what company he was working for.
While declining to address the case Wednesday, Alameda County District Attorney spokeswoman Teresa Drenick said the office was committed to limiting gun violence in many forms, especially around secure storage of firearms through its “Save a Life, Lock up Your Guns!” campaign.
“If there are children living in or visiting your home, your gun must be secured and locked in a place that no child can access,” District Attorney Nancy O’Malley said when her office debuted the campaign in October 2017.
“This is the law in our state. When gun owners follow this law, lives are saved and tragedies are prevented.”
Mercury News
