Bartow Boy Shot In Hand With Unsecured Gun

BARTOW, FL – Bartow Police say a 12-year-old boy is in stable condition after shooting himself in the left hand with a gun he found in his uncle's car.

Around 12:30 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 24, police were alerted that a youngster was being treated for a gunshot wound to the hand at the Bartow Regional Medical Center.

Detectives learned that the boy’s uncle, Michael Russell Caraway, 23, of Bartow, left his handgun unsecured in his car at 1150 E. Davidson St., Bartow. When Caraway asked the youth to retrieve his phone charger from his car, the 12-year-old spotted the handgun. The boy told police the gun accidentally discharged when he picked it up.

Bartow detectives say Caraway admitted to retrieving the gun after the boy shot himself and throwing it into a phosphate pit because he was “scared” of getting in trouble.

Caraway was arrested and charged with tampering with evidence related to a criminal investigation and failure to safely secure a firearm.

The boy was transferred to Saint Joseph's Children's Hospital.

Image via Bartow Police