Child endangerment charge in accidental deadly shooting inside Kenwood apartment

CHICAGO (WGN) — A Chicago woman is accused of child endangerment resulting in death after a young boy suffered a gunshot wound to the head in Chicago’s Kenwood neighborhood.

Danya Bell, 29, of Chicago, is now charged in connection with the shooting death of a four-year-old boy. Initially reported to be five years old, the Department of Child and Family Services confirmed to WGN-TV that the boy is four years old.

The incident occurred in the 4400 block of South Greenwood Avenue just after 1:15 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 24, according to Chicago police. First responders rushed the boy to Comer Children’s Hospital in critical condition, where he later died.

Pastor Donovan Price, who has been in contact with the family, said the shooting appeared to be accidental.

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The Chicago Sun-Times reported that the boy fatally shot himself after finding a gun inside his sister’s purse. According to a police report cited by the Sun-Times, the child’s sister, who is a licensed concealed carry holder with a valid FOID card, left her firearm in a black zippered purse on a bed while she was showering.

Chicago police said detectives were questioning a person of interest. CPD would later say that officers arrested Bell just before 4 p.m. Sunday, less than three hours after the deadly shooting.

Bell will appear in court on Wednesday for an initial hearing.

The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office has not yet released the 4-year-old boy’s name, who, according to WGN-TV sources, lived with a foster family at the time of the shooting.