East Nashville Dad Gets Probation After Toddler Shoots Self

NASHVILLE, TN — The father of an 18-month-old boy who accidentally shot himself after bath time in May will serve probation after pleading guilty Monday.

Tommy Washington, 31, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor child endangerment after originally facing charges of aggravated child neglect. He was sentenced to 11 months and 29 days of probation. (For more updates on this story and free news alerts for your neighborhood, sign up for your local Middle Tennessee Patch morning newsletter.)

On May 17, Washington told police he'd been working on his car when he came back inside his home and saw his four children covered in hair removal lotion. He gave the children baths and the 18-month-old got out of his sight and went into a bedroom where firearms were kept.

He heard a gunshot and saw that his son had been shot. Police said Washington asked a neighbor to ride with him to the hospital, but his van overheated on the way to Skyline Medical Center. An ambulance met the boy and his father at the Krystal on Trinity Lane where he had stopped to call 911 and the youngster was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

The child's grandmother told WKRN that it was a "freak accident" and that her son is a "loving, caring" father. Neighbors told Fox 17 that the father is a "good man."

The child was treated for non-life-threatening injuries after a bullet grazed his cheek.

Image via Metro Nashville Police