By Cliff Pinckard
Source cleveland.com
BEECH GROVE, IN— A man is facing criminal charges after his toddler was seen on a live reality TV show waving a loaded handgun and pulling the trigger, according to reports.
The young boy was not injured and no bullets were fired by the boy during an incident that was broadcast Saturday on the Reelz series “On Patrol: Live,” CNN reports. The handgun reportedly had 15 rounds in a clip but no bullet was in the chamber.
The boy’s father, Shane Osborne, 45, was arrested on a charge of neglect of a dependent, NBC reports.
CNN reports a news release from the show reports a neighbor called 9-1-1 and told police her son had seen the boy in the hallway of the apartment complex with the gun. A video of a young boy playing with the 9mm gun was recorded by a security camera and seized by police in their investigation, reports say. The boy, who was not named, can be seen waving the gun and pulling its trigger.
“He’s playing with what he thinks is a toy, and it couldn’t be farther from the truth,” Beech Grove Deputy Chief Robert Mercuri tells Fox 59.
Reports say when Osborne spoke with police, he denied owning a firearm. However, police later found a 9mm handgun in a desk inside Osborne’s apartment, reports say.
“As with all of you, I’m mortified and what took place and I’m so thankful that no one was hurt, especially the young child,” Beech Grove Mayor Dennis Buckley said in a statement, according to CNN. “I appreciate the quick action taken by the Beech Grove Police Department to secure the small child and the gun in question.”
Fox 59 reports the child has been turned over to his mother. Osborne is scheduled to appear in court today.
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