Joliet police arrest man whose gun a 2-year-old boy shot himself with
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A man was arrested and charged after police said his gun was used by a 2-year-old boy who accidentally shot himself last week in Joliet.
The boy was hospitalized in critical condition on Sept. 27 after he accidentally shot himself in a residence in the 300 block of Comstock Street. The boy remains hospitalized at Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago where police said his condition has "somewhat improved."
Sensei Bennett, 26, of Joliet, was arrested Thursday morning on charges of unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon, endangering the life or health of a child, reckless conduct, unlawful possession of cannabis and unlawful possession of cannabis with intent to deliver, according to a Joliet Police Department news release.
Through their investigation, Joliet police determined the boy had shot himself in the face after accessing an unsecured and loaded 9mm handgun in a bedroom of the residence.
Police said Bennett is the owner of the handgun and is the boyfriend of the boy's mother. The boy's mother was in the home and caring for another child at the time of the incident.
Detectives also recovered suspected cannabis that appeared to be packaged for individual sale in the residence.
Bennett was arrested Thursday at a residence in Morris, Illinois, in Grundy County, by members of the U.S. Marshals Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force. Bennett was then taken to the Will County Jail.
A Will County judge set Bennett's bond at $200,000.