Security footage obtained by “On Patrol: Live” shows a toddler in a diaper horrifyingly waving a loaded gun around, at one point pointing it at himself and pulling the trigger, escaping a fatal shot simply because one of the rounds was not chambered at the time.

(Video Credit: WTHR)

The incident was recorded in a stairwell of a Beech Grove, Indiana apartment building. Neighbors who viewed the footage on Saturday called the police in response to it. Officers arrived and searched the apartment where the child lives with his 45-year-old father, Shane Osborne. They found the fully-loaded 9mm Smith and Wesson lying in the open on a desk.

The father has been arrested and could be charged with child neglect, according to the Daily Mail. The little boy was miraculously not harmed.

In the clip, the toddler can be seen wandering around the stairwell outside his closed apartment. He pointed the gun at doors and in the air, pulling the trigger as he went. Then he pointed the gun at himself and pulled the trigger. No round was chambered so tragedy was averted.

In the “On Patrol: Live” segment, police can be seen arriving and speaking with the boy’s father. He claimed he did not own a gun or have one in the apartment. The man did say his cousin was visiting and owned one. The father consented to a search by the police.

(Video Credit: Daily Mail | On Patrol Live)

Police officers could be heard asking the little boy, “Where’d you put down that toy?” as they searched the residence.

The father stated that he and his wife had both been sick recently. He said he had tried to take care of the toddler but because he was so sick, he must have gotten distracted and the child found the weapon and made it outside, according to the Daily Mail.

The toddler has been returned to his mother where he lives.

“That’s absolutely tough to see,” Sean Larkin, “On Patrol: Live” co-host,  commented. He is a former sergeant in the Tulsa police department.

(Video Credit: Daily Mail | On Patrol Live)

“We hear these types of stories where kids come across these firearms, these horrific results that do happen sometimes, but seeing it on video is definitely very different,” Larkin added.

“On Patrol: Live” co-host Curtis Wilson pointed out that things could have easily gone differently without watchful neighbors stepping in and taking action.

“Which is good that citizens or neighbors got involved, because it could be really a tragic situation,” he noted.

SECURE 👏 YOUR 👏 FIREARMS 👏FOLKS. @BeechGrovePD officers investigating reports of a toddler with a gun. @OfficialOPLive #OPLive #OPLiveNation

— Richland County Sheriff's Dept. (@RCSD) January 15, 2023

Viewers of the video were also horrified by the incident.

“The father shouldn’t be allowed to ever own a gun again,” one person commented on Mediaite. “He should be charged with reckless endangerment, tried, found guilty, and sentenced to the maximum.”

Another person also advocated for a serious prison sentence for the negligent father.

“If you leave a gun out where a child can get to it and use it, you should be criminally liable for whatever damage the child does,” they insisted. “Similar to a felony murder statute, you need not pull the trigger to be convicted of homicide.”

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