Inset: Trae Colvin (Douglas County Corrections/WOWT). Background: The intersection of 14th St. and Fort St. in Omaha, Nebraska (Google Maps).
A 5-year-old boy in Nebraska is recovering after apparently shooting himself with a gun that fell from his dad's pocket.
Trae Colvin, 28, is being held on charges of child abuse, according to Douglas County Department of Corrections records. Colvin's 5-year-old son, who has not been publicly identified, allegedly shot himself in the arm on Sunday.
"Omaha Police arrested two people following an accidental shooting," Omaha police said in a statement. "Officers determined the victim was injured after handling an unsecured firearm."
In addition to arresting Colvin, police cited the child's mother and Colvin's fiancee, 27-year-old Gabrielle Gutierrez, for two counts of misdemeanor neglect, the statement said.
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Prosecutors alleged that Colvin had put the gun into the pocket of his sweatpants after driving home with the 5-year-old on Sunday, local NBC affiliate WOWT reported. He then apparently fell asleep on his bed, with both the 5-year-old and his other child, a 7-month-old, next to him.
Court records reportedly say that Colvin believes the gun fell out of his pocket when he slept.
Colvin told police he didn't hear the gunshot but acknowledged it must have woken him up, WOWT reported, at which point he saw the boy "flailing" his arm as blood poured out. He allegedly put the gun in the safe before leaving the house and going to his mother's house; from there, he called the 5-year-old's mother to tell her what happened. He then drove with the boy to pick the child's mother up from work before going to the emergency room, WOWT reported.
Gutierrez reportedly told police that Colvin always had the gun in his pocket or nearby, and that it was rarely in the gun safe. She said she repeatedly asked him to put the gun in a safe but he refused, WOWT reported.
The boy's mother also told investigators that she knew her son had held the gun before and she asked Colvin to keep it away from the kids, the WOWT report added.
According to Omaha ABC affiliate KETV, Gutierrez said that the bullet did not break any bones or leave any fragments behind.
"When I first saw him, my heart shattered," Gutierrez told the station. "I could tell he was hurting, but he was trying to be a brave boy."
Child Protective Services has reportedly removed both children from the home.
The 5-year-old is expected to make a full recovery, KETV reported.
