A Leesville man has been arrested and charged with second-degree cruelty to a juvenile after a shooting incident involving young children. On Sunday, the Vernon Parish Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a 3-year-old being shot at 35-year-old Fernando Mejia’s residence on Joelee Lane. Chief Detective Rhonda Jordan says investigators responded to the hospital, then went to the residence and processed the scene.
They were ultimately able to locate a .40 caliber weapon. They learned that the male subject had put the weapon beneath a pillow in the bedroom where the two children were playing.”
Investigators determined that the injured child was playing with Mejia’s 3-year-old, who found a loaded .40 caliber handgun hidden under a pillow. The gun discharged, striking the visiting child in the shoulder and chest. Jordan says the child is in stable condition.
“The child was going to be moved out of pediatric ICE. Was doing well and would be moving to med surg to a regular room>”
Mejia was charged for failing to properly secure the firearm. He is currently being held in the Vernon Parish Jail and is also subject to a detainer from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Sheriff Sam Craft says gun safety should be practiced at all times.
“Having a gun is fine, but you have to be careful where you keep and store that weapon, especially when you have young kids around who can grab it easily.”
