Indiana dad gets arrested after his toddler plays with gun on live TV
Beech Grove, Indiana - The father of a gun-wielding toddler was arrested after neighbors caught the unsupervised child on video.
The Beech Grove Police Department in Indiana appeared on Saturday's episode of On Patrol: Live, a docuseries on REELZ that follows law enforcement during a live ride-along while patrolling through their community.
This latest episode was one for the history books, as officers received a call concerning a gun toting four-year-old.
A neighbor at the Beech Meadow apartment complex captured video of the child, dressed in only a diaper, walking through the hallway of the building with a pistol.
The armed tyke is seen pointing it in various directions, repeatedly pulling the trigger, and even pointing it at himself at one point.
Residents immediately called the police, and On Patrol viewers got to watch in real time as the case unfolded.
Officers arrived at the apartment of Shane Osbourne (45), the father of the child, for questioning, and were stunned by what they found.
Beech Grove's mayor reacts to the incident of toddler with gun
According to local news outlet WTHR, Osbourne claimed he was sick and sleeping when his son got out of the apartment. He also denied having a gun, due to his past felony convictions. Osbourne allowed officers to conduct a brief search that brought up nothing.
As they set out to leave, neighbors flagged them down, showing them the alarming footage. Officers returned to Osbourne's residence to conduct another search. The son led them to a desk where a pistol was found.
The gun was loaded with 15 bullets in its clip, but fortunately none had been loaded into the chamber. Osbourne was put in handcuffs and arrested for child neglect.
Beech Grove's mayor Dennis Buckley released a statement on Monday, saying he was "mortified" by the footage and "thankful" no one was hurt.
"I ask that the Marion County Prosecutor's Office work tirelessly to secure charges and a conviction against the responsible parties, with maximum penalties," he added. "Society shouldn't accept anything less."
The toddler is now in the custody of his mother, who defended the father of her child as "a good dad."
Shane Osbourne is expected to appear in court on Thursday on felony child neglect charges, and possibly others.
Cover photo: Collage: Screenshot / Beech Grove Police