A man in the Indianapolis area was arrested on live TV after his 4-year-old son was seen pointing and playing with a gun’s trigger outside of the man’s apartment.
A neighbor’s surveillance video, which was shared during Saturday’s episode of the docuseries “On Patrol: Live” on the Reelz channel, shows the boy holding the gun in the apartment complex’s hallway while wearing only a diaper.
I’m a big 2A proponent but many people shouldn’t own guns at all. If you’re that careless and reckless that your toddler is wandering outside with a loaded gun, you pose a threat to everyone. pic.twitter.com/EHRqVBqMBs</ a>
— Top Girl Keiko, J.D. (@TopGirlKeiko) January 15, 2023
Beech Grove police responded to the scene and arrested the boy’s father, 45-year-old Shane Osborne, on charges of felony child neglect. They found a loaded 9mm handgun in the apartment, but the pistol didn’t have any shots chambered at the time police inspected it.
“It’s almost incomprehensible what you’re watching,” said Beech Grove Deputy Police Chief Robert Mercuri, according to WTHR, Indianapolis’ NBC affiliate. “I saw it the next day and even though I knew the outcome, as I’m watching the video, I was still scared. You find yourself catching your breath. I don’t know how you can’t watch that video, parent or nonparent, and not be shocked and disturbed.”
The woman who called the police said her son opened the door and saw the boy pointing the gun at him, according to the station.
Police initially searched the home and found nothing, but they revisited the apartment after the woman showed them her surveillance video. That’s when the boy led officers to a roll-top desk where they found the gun.
Osborne is a convicted felon, according to court documents, and could face additional charges stemming from the incident. He was due back in court Tuesday afternoon.
The boy is now staying with his mother.
• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.
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