Manassas man faces felony child neglect after his 7-year-old son shoots himself in the hand

A Manassas man was arrested and charged with felony child neglect on Monday after his 7-year-old son found an unsecured firearm and accidentally shot himself in the hand, according to police. 

Officers were called to the 11100 block of Stagestone Way in Manassas at 6:35 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 26, after a boy with a gunshot wound was brought to an area hospital for treatment, according to Master Police Officer Renee Carr, a Prince William County police spokeswoman. 

The police investigation revealed the boy was handling an unsecured firearm he found inside the home when a round discharged, striking him in the hand. The bullet then traveled through a bedroom wall and into a bathroom, Carr said in a news release. 

The child’s father, later identified as Erik Christopher Brown, 35, of the 11100 block of Stagestone Way, was arrested and charged with child neglect and allowing a child to access firearms, the release said. 

Brown was released on an unsecured $5,000 bond pending an upcoming court date, the release said.