GASTONIA, N.C. -- The gun used by a 3-year-old boy who shot off one of his thumbs last Friday belonged to his stepfather, who is a Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer.
CMPD identified the officer as Winsthon Mercedes, who joined the force last January and had been assigned to the Eastway Division.
The shooting happened in the parking lot of the ABC store on Cox Road in Gastonia at about 6:30 p.m. last Friday.
Gastonia police, who are handling the case, said Mercedes went into the store, leaving his wife and the boy in the car.
The boy somehow found the gun and fired one shot that tore through his thumb and went out through the sunroof of the car, shattering the glass.
The mother grabbed the boy and ran inside the store where the clerk called 911. On the 911 tape the clerk is heard talking to the mother and the 911 operator.
"She says her husband is a police officer and the gun was in the car and he touched it and it went off and shot him," the clerk said.
Gastonia police spokesperson Donna Lahser confirmed that a CMPD officer was involved. "It wasn't his service weapon. It was a personal weapon and it's under investigation at this time," Lahser said.
In a written statement, CMPD spokesperson Robert Fey said, "Officer Mercedes has been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation by Internal Affairs."
Investigators would not say where the gun was located in the car or provide any details of how the child was able to find it and fire a shot.
Once Gastonia police have completed their investigation, the case will be turned over to the Gaston County district attorney, who will decide if criminal charges will be filed.
