LINCOLN PARK (WWJ) - A Downriver man has been arraigned on child abuse charges in connection with the accidental shooting of a 3-year-old girl.
The child remains hospitalized following the incident a week ago at a trailer home on Dix Ave. in Lincoln Park, where she lives with her mother, two siblings, and her mother's boyfriend, 26-year-old Steven Michael Johnston.
According to prosecutors, the afternoon of Nov. 19, the little girl and the other children ages 2 and 5 were playing in Johnston's room where he'd left an unsecured loaded hand gun.
The victim found the gun, police said, it discharged, and she was found by responding officers with a gunshot wound to the head.
The child, whose name has not been released, was taken by EMS to a local hospital in critical condition. Her current condition is unknown.
No one else was injured.
Johnston has been charged with three counts of second degree child abuse, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
He was arraigned in 25th District Court in Lincoln Park Wednesday and received a $15,000 personal bond, with the condition he wear GPS tether.
Johnston will be back in court for a probable cause conference scheduled for Dec. 10, followed by a preliminary exam set for Dec. 17.
