Florida

Woman facing neglect charge after boy shot with pellet gun during shootout with friend

 

Palm Beach Post

A Boynton Beach woman is facing child neglect charges after a boy under her care was shot with a pellet gun.

Felicia Slaughter, 41, is being held at the Palm Beach County Jail in lieu of $3,000 bail. She is facing charges of child neglect without great harm.

Boynton Beach Police officers and fire rescue crews were dispatched to South Atlantic Drive on Monday at 3:56 p.m. to reports of a child shot with a pellet gun. Responding officers were met by a 10-year-old boy who had “flesh wounds” from being shot in the leg and stomach, the arrest report said.

The boy, whose name was withheld in the report, told officers that he and his friend were “playing” and shooting at each other with pellet guns. The other boy told officers that he and the 10-year-old were playing “war” with each other, but that he had no idea pellet guns could cause serious injury, the report said.

Officers then spoke to Slaughter, who said the children were in her care at the time, according to the report. She said the boys were playing with each other and that she also saw the two boys shooting at a 7-year-old boy, who was shot in the knee and stomach.

Slaughter added that she saw the 7-year-old run away from the other two as he “screamed in pain” while being shot, the report said.

When asked why she didn’t intervene, Slaughter allegedly said, “What am I supposed to do, take the guns away from them? I am not their mother. I’m not doing that. They never listen,” according to the report.

The boys were treated on scene by fire rescue crews.

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