MILWAUKEE — A Milwaukee woman is facing charges after prosecutors say her son took her gun and shot a three-year-old boy she was watching.
Shelly R. Baublit, 42, is facing one felony count of neglecting a child - consequence is great bodily harm.
Milwaukee police say the three-year-old boy is in critical condition after being shot near 52nd and North last weekend.
According to a criminal complaint, a detective spoke to the boy's mother on July 2, who said she was out with a friend while her aunt, identified as Baublit, watched her children at her home on 52nd St.
Around 7:30 p.m., Baublit called the mother screaming "I'm so scared" and hung up, the complaint says. The mother said she assumed it was issues with her neighbors "again." Minutes later, Baublit called the mother again and said her three-year-old son had been shot. Within minutes, the mother said she got to the house and found her son wrapped up in a blanket on the couch. According to the complaint, Baublit told the mother she did not contact the police or an ambulance because she "was so scared" and said "they taking me to jail." The mother said she then immediately took her son to the nearest hospital.
The complaint says at the time of the incident, the three-year-old boy was alone in the home with several other children as Baublit left to get food. One of the children inside the home was Baublit's six-year-old son. The mother told a detective that "something is wrong with him" and said he "always talks about guns and killing people." According to the complaint, the six-year-old witnessed his father shoot and kill their uncle a few years ago.
While on the way to the hospital, the complaint says the mother asked her three-year-old son what happened and he said he couldn't tell her because "somebody said don't say what happened."
One of the children who was inside the home during the incident told an officer that the kids were playing hide and seek when the shot went off. After the child heard the gunshot, she saw the six-year-old run from the room the 3-year-old was found in. The child also said she saw a gun in Baublit's purse earlier that day, the complaint says. Another child also said she saw the 6-year-old run from the room the 3-year-old was in.
When a detective spoke to Baublit, she said she purchased a Ruger EC9S 9 mm from a "crackhead male" three months ago for protection from her upstairs neighbor, according to the complaint. Baublit said she did not call 911 after the shooting because she panicked. She further said she left her loaded firearm in her purse in her bedroom. The firearm did not have a gun lock and both of her children knew she had a gun, the complaint said.
Once out of surgery, the three-year-old told a CPS worker that the six-year-old took Baublit's gun and said "I'm gonna shoot you" and then shot him, the complaint says.
If convicted, Baublit faces a maximum of 12.5 years in prison and a $25,000 fine. On Friday, a $2,000 signature bond was set for Baublit. She has a preliminary hearing on July 25.
This was the second shooting of a three-year-old boy in just two days in Milwaukee. A convicted felon is facing charges after prosecutors say a three-year-old got a hold of a firearm in their house and accidentally fired it, shooting himself.
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The child, identified as A'kai William Stilo, later died at the hospital last week. On Thursday, prosecutors charged 28-year-old Raheem Moore with neglecting a child - consequence is death, second degree reckless homicide, and three counts of possession of a firearm by a felon.
