VIRGINIA BEACH, Va — A Virginia Beach woman is facing charges after her young son got a hold of her gun — which detectives say wasn't properly secured — and accidentally shot his 7-year-old brother, police say.
Sheneka Warren-Boykins, 38, was arrested on Friday, August 9. She is charged with felony child neglect and a misdemeanor charge of allowing access of firearms to children, police say.
The shooting happened on July 31 around 6:50 p.m. in the 2400 block of Brush Creek Lane, police say. That's not far from London Bridge Road and Central Drive.
The 7-year-old was shot in his right eyebrow and had to get stitches, according to court documents.
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Detectives say they determined that the firearm had not been properly secured by Warren-Boykins, who owns the gun.
Court documents state the kids got a hold of Warren-Boykins' gun that was in an unlocked dresser in the master bedroom.
"During the investigation we found that had that gun been secured properly, this unfortunate situation could have been prevented," Sean Adams, Virginia Beach Deputy Police Chief said.
News 3's Leondra Head went to the house of where the shooting happened on Brush Creek Lane, but no one came to the door.
Head spoke to neighbors who say they are shocked and concerned.
"This is a very quiet, calm neighborhood. This is not something that you would expect in this area. I was at a hair appointment at the time. My daughter said it was a ton of cops in here. We heard that a little boy ran over to a neighbor and was bleeding on his head," Jessica, a neighbor who only wanted to be identified by her first name said.
Virginia Beach Deputy Police Chief Sean Adams warns gun owners should secure their gun.
"Lock them up. That is the simply message. Make sure the weapons you have are secure and away from those you love," Adams said.
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Virginia Beach Police Chief Paul Neudigate said the incident shows the importance of safely securing your firearms to prevent children from accessing them.
“Once again, I will make a plea to our community, asking them to take the necessary steps to keep their firearms out of the hands of those who should not have access”, said Chief Neudigate.
Boykins appeared in court Tuesday and was denied bond, according to the commonwealth's attorney. Her next court appearance is for an attorney review and is scheduled for August 20 at 9 a.m.
As for gun safety, Virginia Beach Police say you can pick up a free gun lock at any Virginia Beach police precinct or at Police Headquarters located at 2405 Courthouse Drive, Virginia Beach, VA
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call police at 757-385-4101 or submit a tip through Crime Solvers at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP.
