A 21-year-old man accidentally shot a 1-year-old boy while changing his diaper in a South Shore apartment earlier this month, police say, when a gun he kept in the child’s diaper bag became tangled and discharged, according to prosecutors.
Chicago police responded to a complaint of a child being shot in the 7700 block of South Yates soon after 2 p.m. on November 8. Officers discovered the toddler with gunshot wounds in his left and right legs, and EMS transported him to Comer Children’s Hospital in critical condition, according to a CPD report.
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According to authorities, Torion Stokes, 21, initially told officers that an unknown individual attempted to force his way into the flat and opened fire, striking the infant. After hearing different claims, investigators detained Stokes and recovered a 9mm handgun from his front left pocket, according to criminal documents.
Later that evening, Stokes allegedly provided a different account. Prosecutors said he admitted to carrying a gun in the child’s diaper bag. As he laid the bag on the bed and began pulling out items to change the boy’s diaper, the pistol became entangled within the bag and discharged, striking the toddler, according to prosecutors.
Police say a check of the apartment turned up many more guns and accessories. Officers discovered another weapon in Stokes’ bedroom, along with a drum magazine in a hallway closet. Police purportedly discovered a second drum magazine, a second weapon, and an ammunition box in a separate bedroom.
According to court documents, Stokes is now enrolled in a “first-time weapon offender probation” program in connection with an unlawful weapon use case in 2023. If he successfully completes his probation, the 2023 issue will be dropped without a conviction.
Stokes has now been charged with reckless discharge of a firearm, child endangerment, and possessing ammunition without a valid FOID card. Judge Susana Ortiz ordered his detention awaiting trial.
