According to court documents, two individuals, both aged 26, who were arrested in August, have been officially charged today with neglect of a dependent resulting in serious injury.
Antreaun Rice and Anaya Velazquez faced formal charges today from the Marion County Prosecutor’s office.
Last month, authorities arrested the two individuals in connection with a distressing incident where a 3-year-old child was discovered shot inside a vehicle.
Antreaun Rice and Anaya Velazquez were found responsible for the serious bodily injury inflicted upon a toddler due to their failure to safely store a firearm out of the child’s reach, as stated in court documents. The injury sustained by the toddler was a gunshot wound.
According to a family member, the child is anticipated to fully recover following the surgery.
Around 5:05 p.m. on August 28, officers from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department received a call about a person being shot on South Belmont Avenue. However, while en route to the location, they were redirected to the intersection of South Harding Street and West Morris Street, where they discovered a young boy who had been shot at a Wendy’s restaurant.
Officers arrived at the scene to discover a young child who had sustained a gunshot wound. Further investigation revealed that the toddler had accidentally shot himself. The incident took place on South Belmont Avenue.
Police report that Rice stated he was the driver of the vehicle, with Velazquez seated in the front and holding the toddler. In addition, authorities note that there were three other children, aged 5, 7, and 9, in the back seat.
Velazquez explained that she had collected Rice from his workplace after purchasing groceries. While they were rearranging the children and the groceries, the toddler stumbled upon the firearm and accidentally shot himself.
According to the police, both adults and the children heard a loud pop or bang, which led to the unfortunate discovery of the toddler shooting himself in the stomach.
During their investigation, law enforcement discovered a fully loaded .45 caliber handgun equipped with an extended magazine inside the trunk.
Anaya Velazquez and Antreaun Rice, both 26 years old, have been arrested on felony charges of child neglect following the incident, according to the IMPD. The Marion County jail has taken them into custody.
The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) reported that the shooting took place at a separate location on South Belmont Avenue. Following the incident, detectives obtained a search warrant for a vehicle and successfully discovered a firearm.
According to IMPD Sgt. William Young, the recent events have been quite alarming for both the agency and the entire city. He expressed his concern, stating, “It is certainly disturbing whenever we witness acts of violence and accidental shootings involving children.”
