Father arrested after 5-year-old shot himself in the face at Wendy’s, NC cops say
Although he was not in the car at the time of the shooting, an N.C. man has been arrested after his 5-year-old son shot himself in the face while in a Wendy’s drive-thru, WFMY reported.
The shooting occurred Dec. 30 at a Wendy’s restaurant in Randleman, according to The State.
On Friday, the 5-year-old boy’s father, Randy Christopher Brower, was arrested on multiple charges, per WGHP.
The 26-year-old Kernersville man was charged with negligent child abuse causing serious bodily injury and failure to store a firearm to protect a minor after 5-year-old Jayden pulled the gun from a seat pocket, WXII reported.
Randleman Police said Brower left the gun in the seat pocket when he cleaned the car “a couple days earlier,” according to WFMY. The State previously reported the weapon was a “.45 semi-automatic handgun.”
Brower said he normally leaves the gun “on the driver’s side,” but when he was vacuuming the car he did not want to leave it exposed if other drivers pulled up, so he moved it, WGHP reported.
“When my kids are in the car, it’s not even reachable,” Brower said, according to the TV station. “I was in the car by myself when I was vacuuming so I felt comfortable putting it right there.”
According to police, Jayden unbuckled his booster seat while his mother was in the drive-thru of the fast-food chain “and shot himself in the face,” per WXII.
Jayden remains in critical condition, and his grandmother, Desandra Julius, said the boy “is unable to speak, but he is not paralyzed,” WFMY reported.
While Jayden’s father was arrested, his mother has not spoken much and has been “upset,” Julius said, according to the TV station.
Brower, who was released on $50,000 bond, released a statement that said “I fully understand and am prepared to face anything I need to in order to be able to continue to raise my family. All I want is for everyone to pray for my son,” WGHP reported. He is scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 14.
