Middletown man charged after child shot himself with unsecured weapon get OR bond

A Middletown man facing a felony charge after his 4-year-old sibling shot himself with an unsecured gun found in the seat of an SUV in April was arraigned Tuesday.

Yvonte I. Glover, 26, was indicted by a Butler County grand jury last week for child endangering, a third-degree felony. Middletown police and prosecutors say it was his loaded handgun shoved between the seats that the boy found and used to shoot himself in the abdomen on April 12 in Jacot Park.

Explore4-year-old shot himself with unsecured weapon, Middletown police say

The child has recovered from the through-and-through shot, according to officials.

Glover appeared before Magistrate Matt Reed who released him on an own-recognizance bond. He is scheduled to be back in court Sept. 26 for a pretrial hearing before Judge Noah Powers II.

The incident happened about 5:30 p.m. at the park. Glover was there with four young children, including the boy who was injured, and his girlfriend, according to Middletown police.

The boy went back to the vehicle for a drink of water when he picked up the gun and fired it, the police report says. The weapon used is listed as a Smith and Wesson 9-millimeter handgun, according to the police report. It was left in the SUV between the seat and the console.

ExploreFormer police officer indicted for reckless homicide after 3-year-old dies from gunshot

It is the second pending felony case involving a Butler County child hit by gunfire after apparently picking up an unsecured weapon. On March 30, a 3-year-old picked up a gun in his Hamilton home and discharged it. The child was hit in the head and died.

Benjamin Bishop, 26, was indicted in June on charges of involuntary manslaughter and reckless homicide in the accidental shooting incident.

Bishop, a former Centerville police officer, was the boyfriend of the toddler’s mom, Hailey Rodriguez and the father of their infant child. He is free on $100,000 bond. Bishop was scheduled to be back in court Tuesday, but the pretrial hearing was continued to Sept. 12.

ExploreEx-Centerville officer gets bond in case of Hamilton 3-year-old’s death by gunshot

Emergency crews responded at about 7 p.m. March 30 to the 900 block of Park Avenue and found the child with a gunshot wound on the left side of his head. Jared N. Green died a day later from head injuries.

Prosecutors say the toddler found the gun unsecured on a window sill.

Butler County Prosecutor Michael Gmoser said he has a message for parents and all gun owners:

“The gun didn’t have a brain. The only one with a brain was the owner and they are held accountable,” Gmoser said. “This (Middletown incident) could have just as easily have been a horrific event like the one involving the Hamilton child.”

He said people need to be painfully aware that “between a gun and a human being, only one has a brain. A human is the one capable of utilizing a gun in safe manner and not in a callus or reckless disregard for safety.”

Gmoser said if people do not apply their brains regarding safety issues with guns, “they (guns) will kill you, or if left out, they will kill a child who doesn’t have a mature enough brain to realize the dangers involved.”