Loaded gun left in room where 2-year-old Lancaster boy was shot

LANCASTER, S.C. — Authorities say a loaded gun was left in the room where a 2-year-old child suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the chest in South Carolina.

[READ MORE: Police chief says toddler shot, killed was 'victim of extreme negligence']

Arrest warrants show Jacarion Gladden's 26-year-old mother, Toni Lashay Gladden, knew her live-in boyfriend, 18-year-old Shazeem Tyrell Hayes, kept the handgun unsecured in the living room.

Teddy bears, balloons and toys filled the front steps of Gladden’s home Sunday.

Warrants say the couple entered the living room after hearing a gunshot and found the child shot. They crashed the car on the way to the hospital, where he later died.

Hayes is charged with felony unlawful conduct toward a child. He is on probation for a 2016 conviction for weapons and burglary. Gladden is charged with misprision of a felony and unlawful conduct toward a child.

It's unclear if they have lawyers.

Associated Press