Man’s bond reduced after 10-year-old step-brother shoots himself

FARMINGTON, CT. (WFSB) - A 10-year-old shot himself in the leg Tuesday afternoon with a gun that was left unattended in a parked car on Forest Park Drive.

The gun belonged to 19-year-old Jordan Cruz, who police say is the stepbrother of the child. Police said Cruz did not own the gun legally and was arrested.

Cruz appeared in Litchfield Superior Court Wednesday morning. A judge reduced his bond from $300,000 to $50,000. He is scheduled to return to court May 19.

Barbara Paternostro, who works in a building near the parking lot, said she saw a chaotic scene unfold when she left to take her lunch break Tuesday.

“There were about 10, 15 cop cars, and I saw the little boy getting into the ambulance. I saw all the police with the white car, it was a white car there, and they were just taking everything out of the trunk,” Paternostro said. “And the boy was fine, you know, he was alive.”

Paternostro said she saw police searching the vehicle and the child being taken away in an ambulance.

“It was a lot of people there. A lot of cop cars, and they kept going in and out to the doctor downstairs,” Paternostro said.

The boy is expected to be OK.

Connecticut law says guns cannot be left unsecured in cars or homes. They must be locked up and stored properly. The legislation was prompted by a 15-year-old Guilford boy who accidentally shot and killed himself.

Paternostro said she believes guns should be stored safely.

“Boys shouldn’t be having guns. I feel bad he was doing it illegally. I don’t know where he got the gun from, but they should be locked in a cabinet,” Paternostro said. “And it’s scary for little kids.”

Dr. Barbara Ziogas, a pediatrician who works just feet away from where the accidental shooting happened, said firearm injuries have become a leading cause of accidental death in children.

“It’s so unfortunate that guns or firearm injuries have become the leading cause of accidental death in our pediatric population,” Ziogas said.

Ziogas said her office works to help parents get the tools to properly store guns.

“It is hard for a child not to touch a gun, to be curious about it. It’s important that we protect our pediatric population,” Ziogas said. “Accidents happen with guns. Please protect your children. Make sure the guns are locked in a gun safe, or they have a gun lock on them.”

Cruz is facing charges of risk of injury to a child, negligent storage of a firearm, first-degree reckless endangerment, carrying a pistol without a permit, illegal possession of a large capacity magazine, illegal possession of a firearm with no serial number and illegal possession of a weapon in a motor vehicle.