A 36-year-old man is facing multiple charges after his child found his gun and accidentally shot himself in the Woodlawn neighborhood on the South Side early Friday, police said.
Bernard Shields was arrested Friday in the 6100 block of South State Street after fleeing the scene of the incident. He is facing felony charges of armed habitual criminal and possession of a controlled substance, police said.
Just after midnight, the boy found the gun in his father's pants pocket, took it to the bathroom where he was handling it when it discharged, police said. He was taken to Comer Children's Hospital and is in good condition.
Shields, from Englewood, admitted to leaving home " in a panic to discard the weapon" after police found a handgun in the grass nearby, according to police.
He is also facing misdemeanor counts of unlawful use of a weapon, possession of ammunition without a valid firearm owners identification card, violation of order of protection and cause of child to be endangered, according to police.
Shields is scheduled for bond court on April 26.
