Gun Goes Off in 8-year-old's Backpack at School Grazing a Classmate; Chicago Mom Charged

A Chicago mom has been charged after her second-grade son found her loaded gun under her bed and brought it to school, where it accidentally discharged and grazed his seven-year-old classmate on Tuesday, May 17.

Tatanina Kelly was arraigned on three misdemeanor child endangerment counts on Wednesday, May 18. The 28-year-old was later released from the Cook County Jail on a $1,000 bond. At the hearing, Cook County Judge Michael Hogan said that they are inches away, possibly centimeters away, from a very different case and a very different tragedy.

According to a report by ABC 7 Chicago, prosecutors alleged that Kelly's eight-year-old son found the gun underneath his mother's bed before bringing the weapon to Walt Disney Magnet School on the city's North Side in a backpack. The school is located at 4140 N. Marine Dr., in the Buena Park neighborhood.

7-year-old student grazed in the stomach after gun discharged

Police said that the gun discharged just before 10 a.m. on Tuesday. The school's principal told parents via email that the gunfire caused some debris to ricochet in their child's classroom, which hit a school community member and caused minor scrapes.

The seven-year-old victim was grazed in the stomach and was brought to the Lurie Children's Hospital in stable condition. Prosecutors said in court that the bullet struck the ground and ricocheted before grazing the abdomen of the 7-year-old boy, which caused a small laceration and redness on his skin. 

The New York Post reported that a teacher grabbed the backpack after the gun was discharged and handed the bag over to school security officers. Prosecutors said on Wednesday that the officers found a Glock 19 handgun inside the backpack.

Kelly legally obtained the gun and has a valid firearm owner's identification card. Rodger Clarke, Kelly's attorney, conceded that the firearm should have been properly locked away in her home but said the incident was not something his client planned or did of her own volition.

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Judge scolds Chicago mom after gun goes off in son's backpack

While acknowledging that Kelly should have locked up her gun somewhere, Clarke told the judge that Kelly had no criminal record, later arguing that the shooting was a one-time incident that would not be repeated soon.

While the school shooting may not have been intentional, Judge Hogan said that Kelly's failure to store her gun properly was "supremely negligent." Hogan said they don't know how Kelly's son knew the gun was under the bed, but he did because he went and got the weapon.

Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez issued a statement about the shooting, saying district officials have been in touch with the affected families at Disney, and counselors have been talking to the school's students. In an interview, Martinez told the Chicago Sun-Times that anytime they see a gun coming into their schools, it is very troubling, especially when it is an elementary school.

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