Man charged after toddler accidently shot himself in St. Paul

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - A man is charged with unsafe storage of a firearm after a toddler shot himself in St. Paul over the weekend.

St. Paul police responded to Children's Minnesota on Saturday evening, after a 22-month-old boy showed up with a gunshot wound.

Police say the boy had gotten ahold of a gun and shot himself in the wrist.

According to the charges, the gun belongs to Jehvantea Blackman, 29, of St. Paul.

Blackman was living at the boy's home on Fuller Avenue. The charges state that he had been keeping the firearm loaded and only wrapped in a towel inside a cubby in his closet.

Blackman is charged with negligent storage of a firearm within access of a child, which is a gross misdemeanor. 

A bill that would elevate unsafe gun storage cases to a felony passed the Minnesota House this past legislative session. However, it never made it to a vote in the Senate.