Sheriff: Child used assault pistol to shoot 1-year-old cousin at NC home

Two women were arrested Wednesday after a 10-year-old boy accidentally shot his 1-year-old cousin with an assault-style pistol.

The Edgecombe County Sheriff's Office received a call from Nash General Hospital about a 1-year-old child who had been shot at a home in the 100 block of River Run Road in Rocky Mount.

When detectives arrived at the hospital, they determined the 10-year-old child had found a loaded AR-15 pistol in the home and accidentally shot his baby cousin. Detectives went to the home to secure the weapon.

The sheriff's office charged Tosha Mayo, 48, the children's grandmother, and Yasmin Mayo, 26, the 10-year-old's mother, who both lived in the home, saying the women neglected to safely store a firearm that was accessible to children.

According to the sheriff's office, the baby was shot in the arm. The baby is already home and recovering.

Sheriff Cleveland Atkinson said the family originally reported to law enforcement that the baby was hit by fireworks. When the baby arrived at the hospital, police confirmed with the sheriff's office that the baby was shot.

Atkinson said there would be no charges for the false information.

The women were each charged with failure to store firearms to protect minors causing personal injury. They were both released on bond.

Atkinson said he will not tolerate the irresponsible handling of firearms, which can lead to children or anyone being shot.

"Even purchasing a lockbox or a safe, we have to make sure moving forward that we have solutions," Atkinson said. "[Children] are around adults that are supposed to protect and keep them safe. Somewhere, we failed them. Weapons hurt, weapons kill, weapons destroy. Weapons can also defend and keep you safe. In this case, we have a 1-year-old baby that got hurt."

Atkinson said he was contacted by the father of one of the children, who was highly emotional.

"We just thank God that baby is alive," Atkinson said. "We can figure out the rest, but now we don't have to do a death investigation."