Inset: Lanecia Bennett. Background: Apartment in Decatur, Georgia, where Bennett”s 5-year-old son allegedly shot his twin (WAGA/YouTube).
A woman in Georgia has been charged with murder after her 5-year-old son accidentally shot and killed his twin brother. Authorities have accused 25-year-old Lanecia Bennett of second-degree murder and child cruelty following the tragic death of her son, Jeremiah George Jr.
The incident happened at approximately 2:30 p.m. on a Thursday in an apartment on Pleasant Point Drive in Decatur. The young boy, suffering from a gunshot wound, was quickly taken to the hospital, where he unfortunately succumbed to his injuries. Police from the DeKalb Police Department arrested his mother on the same day.
According to a bond motion filed in DeKalb County Superior Court, the twin brothers were in their mother’s bedroom when they found an unsecured, loaded firearm inside her purse, which was on a table next to the bed.
The surviving twin accidentally shot and killed Jeremiah, according to police.
Cops said no other adults beside Bennett were in the home home at the time.
“As investigators continue to piece together the events of this tragic shooting, we want to remind the public that if they have guns, it’s important for owners to do what they can to keep guns out of the hands of children,” Blaine Clark, public information officer for DeKalb police wrote in a press release, added that the department offers free gun safes for some firearms.
Bennett was initially held at the DeKalb County jail without bond but her attorneys requested an emergency hearing in Superior Court. A judge on Friday set her bond at $30,000 which she has since posted.
“Ms. Bennett is grieving this heart-wrenching and unexpected loss of her son,” her lawyers wrote. “Her other son need her during this extraordinarily difficult time. In addition, Ms. Bennett now has the devastating task of planning her son’s funeral.”
Local NBC affiliate WXIA spoke with stunned neighbors following the shooting. Chase Houle said he saw the medics go inside the apartment and come out with the boy before administering CPR.
“That could be my child, that could be anyone’s child. I instantly got emotional — like I said, I have a three-year-old and a four-year-old. So, yeah, that was really emotional,” he told the outlet.
