COLUMBIA, Pa. — A 19-year-old was arrested after a child was shot in Columbia over the weekend, according to the Columbia Borough Police Department.
The incident occurred in the 500 block of Locust Street around 12:40 p.m. on June 2.
Once at the scene, police discovered a 3-year-old child who was suffering from a gunshot wound. The child was then transported to the Lancaster General Hospital for emergency treatment.
Through the initial stages of the investigations, officers learned that the victim's 19-year-old brother, Jayden Whitlock, left a "Glock model 23 .40 caliber pistol" unattended in the second-floor bedroom where the shooting occurred. According to the affidavit of probable cause, the room was easily accessible by the victim and a 7-year-old child who also lives in the home.
Whitlock told officers that he removed the firearm from the second-floor bedroom and took it into his bedroom after the shooting occurred and before police arrival, according to the affidavit.
During an interview with Columbia Police, Whitlock stated that he bought the firearm illegally from an unknown male in York City within the past year. Additionally, Whitlock confirmed that on the night of the shooting, he left the firearm unattended under a pillow in the second-floor bedroom when he decided to go to sleep in his third-floor bedroom.
The affidavit further states that Whitlock told officers he woke up on June 2 to the sound of his mother screaming after she discovered the victim with the gunshot wound.
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to contact the Columbia Police Department at 717-684-7735.
