Parents Face Charges After Their 3-Year-Old Shoots 2 Children at Preschool

A married couple is facing charges after their 3-year-old son shot two children in their home [...]

A married couple is facing charges after their 3-year-old son shot two children in their home using the father's gun, the Washington Post reported.

Samantha Eubanks was taking care of six children in her home in Dearborn, Mich., when she heard a noise upstairs.

She'd found that her 3-year-old son discovered one of her husband's handguns and pulled the trigger, shooting two other 3-year-old children, one in the face and the other in the shoulder.

The two injured children were rushed to the hospital in critical condition and are now recovering in their homes. One of them lost an eye and has undergone multiple surgeries.

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Police filed charges against Eubanks and her husband, Timothy Eubanks. Eubanks ran an unlicensed day care facility in her house and knew her husband's guns were in the bedroom, prosecutors said. Timothy left the house that morning knowing that he left two guns unsecured upstairs.

Eubanks faces 12 counts of second degree child abuse and two counts of felony firearm. Her husband faces six counts of second degree child abuse.

Each could be sentenced to 10 years in prison if found guilty.

"The allegations in this case have set forth a tremendous tragedy," said Judge Gene Hunt at the arraignment. "And the tragedy, although not intentional, was the result of reckless disregard for the safety of the children."

The children who were shot will require "long-term care," said Dearborn Police Chief Ronald Haddad.

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"With these types of injuries, they don't just go away. Physically, they're going to heal up, but they're not going to go away," Haddad said in a news conference.

The couple has six children of their own, including the 3-year-old. The six children are now staying with other family members

The two are forbidden from having any contact with the victims and their families, in addition to unsupervised contact with their own children.

"That toddler apparently knew how to fire that weapon," Haddad said. "The fact that the weapon was in proximity where someone very small could get it is totally unacceptable."

Although neighbors of the Eubanks family said they previously complained about the unlicensed day care, Samantha's sister, Ashley Escobedo, claimed she wasn't running a day care. She never advertised the babysitting as a business, and she charged parents — many of whom were single parents — less than a day care.

"As of right now she just wanted to help family and friends," Escobedo said.

Escobedo said she was very surprised to hear about the shooting, because her sister "hates guns."

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