A mother has been arrested after her 2-year-old son was wounded in an accidental shooting Monday night in North Philadelphia, authorities said.
The toddler was shot in the shoulder and is being treated for nonlife-threatening injuries at Temple University Hospital, according to the PPD.
Officers began investigating after the boy was brought to the medical center just before 8:15 p.m., police said. Detectives determined he had been shot by another child inside a home on the 2000 block of N. 21st Street, according to authorities.
Regine Prentice, 30, is being charged with endangering the welfare of a child and related offenses, according to police. Her legal counsel could not be identified through court records Tuesday.
Law enforcement recovered a gun and one .380 caliber spent shell casing at the scene, officials said.
Regine PrenticePROVIDED / PHILADELPHIA POLICESo far in 2025, there have been 116 unintentional shootings involving children across the country, including four prior incidents in Philadelphia, according to data from Everytown for Gun Safety, a nonprofit that advocates for gun control and safety.
Health experts advise families to secure their weapons and check in with the parents when their child goes to a friend’s house. The best practice is to store guns and ammunition in separate safes, Scott Charles, trauma outreach manager at Temple University Hospital, told Metro in an interview last year.
