Eustis Incident: Father Arrested Following 5-Year-Old’s Accidental Self-Inflicted Gunshot

EUSTIS, Fla. – The father of a 5-year-old boy who accidentally shot himself in the head last month in Eustis has been arrested, according to police.

Dexter Demond Neal, 49, was arrested Sunday after turning himself in.

Eustis police reported that a child with autism managed to access a gun on June 28 and accidentally shot himself. The firearm was owned by the child’s father, according to the police.

A neighbor, who is a licensed flight nurse, helped the child before police arrived, according to a case report.

Authorities explained that the child was airlifted to Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children for surgery. The latest update indicated that the child was in stable condition.

The family mentioned that they usually kept their guns in lock boxes on the highest shelf of a bedroom closet. It’s unclear how the child gained access to the gun.

“When you think about it, a five-year-old boy or any child, for that matter of fact, getting shot with a gun, an accidental shot — it makes you really start putting things in perspective how young kids have access to guns,” Eustis Police Chief Craig Capri said last month.

Neal faces charges of neglect of a child and culpable negligence.

The family is cooperating with the investigation, police said.