Milwaukee boy shoots self, woman sentenced to probation

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Marqueesha Smith

MILWAUKEE - A Milwaukee woman accused of child neglect after a boy accidentally shot himself was sentenced to probation on Thursday.

In Court:

Court records show a judge sentenced 29-year-old Marqueesha Smith to nine months in the Milwaukee County Community Reintegration Center but stayed that sentence – ordering one year of probation instead. She pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of child neglect in August.

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The backstory:

It happened at an apartment complex near 64th and Bradley last November.

According to a criminal complaint, the 3-year-old boy got hold of a gun that Smith "left racked and loaded on the couch" next to him. The boy then picked up the gun and shot himself in the leg.

Scene near 64th and Bradley

Court filings said Smith told police she had heard a knock at the door, racked her gun and checked – but saw no one. She said she then set the gun down and started to plug in her cellphone when she heard a loud sound; the boy had shot himself.

Police located multiple guns in the home, per the complaint, including one in a backpack on the floor where the boy would play.

Another child told police that Smith "took her gun out and checked the front door." The child said Smith then put the gun down on the couch and the boy shot himself.