06-10-2012, 03:09 PM
FLORIDA TODAY
The parents of a 4-year-old girl who accidentally shot herself in the chest while handling a gun left on a couch were arrested while visiting her in an Orlando hospital.
The pair will be brought back to Brevard County to face criminal charges, authorities say.
Leshumbia Stokes, 37, and Marie Buskey, 22, were taken into custody Wednesday after Titusville police issued warrants for their arrests in connection with the May 12 shooting at their Titusville home.
Stokes was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and tampering with evidence, and Buskey was charged with child neglect causing great bodily harm and culpable negligence.
Both were arrested at Arnold Palmer Hospital in Orlando and were expected to be extradited from the Orange County Jail to Brevard at a later date.
The child, who Titusville police said found a 9mm handgun left in the house and shot herself in the chest, continues a long, slow path to recovery after doctors brought her out of a medically induced coma Sunday.
However, detectives say the child is unable to speak coherently and remains heavily medicated because of her injuries.
Police said the handgun was left on a couch at the home while both parents were in other rooms.
The child found the weapon and accidentally fired a round. The parents rushed the girl to Parrish Medical Center in Titusville, but police said Stokes, who is a convicted felon, left the hospital to return home and dispose of the handgun before investigators arrived.
Stokes later told detectives he moved the weapon because he was afraid to go to jail and added that he would surrender the gun to detectives. The gun, however, has not been recovered, police add.
The pair, Marie Buskey, 22, and Leshumbia Stokes, 37, were taken into custody Wednesday after warrants were issued for their arrests in connection with the May 12 shooting at their Titusville home. / Booking photos
![[Image: bilde?Site=A9&Date=20120608&Category=NEW...s-shooting]](http://cmsimg.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=A9&Date=20120608&Category=NEWS01&ArtNo=306080006&Ref=AR&MaxW=640&Border=0&Titusville-parents-charged-girl-s-shooting)
The parents of a 4-year-old girl who accidentally shot herself in the chest while handling a gun left on a couch were arrested while visiting her in an Orlando hospital.
The pair will be brought back to Brevard County to face criminal charges, authorities say.
Leshumbia Stokes, 37, and Marie Buskey, 22, were taken into custody Wednesday after Titusville police issued warrants for their arrests in connection with the May 12 shooting at their Titusville home.
Stokes was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and tampering with evidence, and Buskey was charged with child neglect causing great bodily harm and culpable negligence.
Both were arrested at Arnold Palmer Hospital in Orlando and were expected to be extradited from the Orange County Jail to Brevard at a later date.
The child, who Titusville police said found a 9mm handgun left in the house and shot herself in the chest, continues a long, slow path to recovery after doctors brought her out of a medically induced coma Sunday.
However, detectives say the child is unable to speak coherently and remains heavily medicated because of her injuries.
Police said the handgun was left on a couch at the home while both parents were in other rooms.
The child found the weapon and accidentally fired a round. The parents rushed the girl to Parrish Medical Center in Titusville, but police said Stokes, who is a convicted felon, left the hospital to return home and dispose of the handgun before investigators arrived.
Stokes later told detectives he moved the weapon because he was afraid to go to jail and added that he would surrender the gun to detectives. The gun, however, has not been recovered, police add.
The pair, Marie Buskey, 22, and Leshumbia Stokes, 37, were taken into custody Wednesday after warrants were issued for their arrests in connection with the May 12 shooting at their Titusville home. / Booking photos