Neglect Charge for Dad Whose Son Shot Daughter

The father of a 1-year-old girl accidentally shot by her 3-year-old brother now faces culpable negligence charges, according to the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office.

Reynold Franzen turned himself in to deputies Wednesday night and was booked on one felony count before being released from the Sarasota County Jail in lieu of $1,500 bond, the sheriff’s office reported Thursday morning.

The incident that led to the charges took place May 15 when Franzen’s wife, Rachel, went to pick up the couple’s children from a Venice daycare center. Rachel buckled the 1-year-old girl into her car seat and instructed the 3-year-old to get into his seat, a probable cause affidavit stated.

Rachel, however, didn’t buckle her son in, pausing to talk to another parent about 10 feet away from her Ford Focus. As the two parents talked, the report said, they heard a loud bang. Thinking it was a blown transformer, they continued their conversation. A few moments later, Rachel heard her daughter’s cries and went to her car to find blood coming from the child’s face, the report said.

Rachel began treating the wound as another parent called 911. A third person checked on the 3-year-old and found a loaded Kel-Tec .380 in his hand, the report said.

Deputies say Reymond Franzen left the gun in the car’s glove box five days earlier and forgot about it.

The 1-year-old girl was airlifted to All Children’s Hospital following the shooting. She was released May 19, the report noted.

Booking photo courtesy of the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office

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