Hartford father faces additional charges tied to 6-year-old accidentally shooting himself

A father has been accused of negligently storing a firearm and possessing a gun he shouldn’t have had in connection with an incident last summer involving a 6-year-old who accidentally shot himself.

Cameron West, 41, was taken into custody Tuesday on additional charges of criminal possession of a firearm and negligent storage of a firearm, according to Lt. Aaron Boisvert of the Hartford Police Department.

The charges stem from an incident on Aug. 23, when police responded just after 1:15 p.m. to West’s Martin Street residence on the report of a juvenile suffering from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Boisvert said in a statement. The boy was taken to the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center for injuries not considered life-threatening.

Police previously said West told investigators the child accidentally shot himself in the hand with a gun he allegedly found while playing outside. Three other children were home at the time, according to police.

Investigators located the firearm and charged West at the time with one felony count of risk of injury to a minor. He posted $100,000 bond in that case prior to his arrest this week, court records show.

Boisvert on Wednesday said the additional charges were based on “further investigation” by the Hartford Police Special Investigations Division, which led to authorities obtaining a warrant for West.