Woman Charged in Accidental Shooting of Sleeping Daughter

A woman has been charged with reckless conduct in the accidental shooting her 5-year-old daughter last month in south suburban Lansing.

Andrea Cunningham-Ellis of Griffith, Indiana, turned herself in at the Lansing Police Department at 3:25 p.m. Wednesday, according to a statement from Lansing police. An attorney accompanied her and she refused to speak with detectives or answer any questions.

She has since been charged with a felony count of reckless conduct in connection with the April 2 shooting, police said.

Officers were called about midnight to the home in the 17700 block of Rosewood Drive with reports that the girl had been shot, police said. The girl was sleeping at the home, where a party was going on at the time, when a gun that her mother was handling accidentally went off.

The girl was initially taken to Community Hospital in Munster, Indiana, but was later transferred to Comer Children’s Hospital, police said. As of Friday, she had been released from the hospital and was recovering from her injuries.

Judge Luciano Panici set bail for 30-year-old Cunningham-Ellis at $10,000 during a hearing Thursday at the Markham Courthouse, according to Cook County court records. Her next court date was scheduled for June 14.

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