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Mom charged after 5-year-old shot to death could spend decades in prison if convicted

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DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — A DeKalb County mother is facing murder charges after her 5-year-old was shot and killed on Wednesday afternoon.

Channel 2’s Michael Doudna was at the apartment complex where the shooting happened and many of those who live there are heartbroken.

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On Thursday, a judge laid out the charges against Lanecia Bennett, 25, when she made her first court appearance.

Investigators say Bennett did not pull the trigger. However, the charges are similar to past cases where a child died after finding an unsecured firearm.

“The statute itself, the second-degree murder statute, takes into account that something may be negligent or you didn’t necessarily specifically intend for this harm to happen,” former prosecutor Tanya Miller said.

Miller says a second-degree murder charge could put Bennett behind bars for 10 to 30 years, if convicted.

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“It is absolutely awful. It is inexcusable, and, yes, the prosecutors are going to do their jobs,” Miller said.

In a statement, the DeKalb County District Attorney said, in part,

"While I cannot speak to the specifics of a pending case, I can say that shootings involving children and unsecured firearms are far too common in DeKalb County and across the state.”

“You got to be more responsible, you know. Make sure these kinds of things don’t end up in the wrong hands, especially a 5-year-old,” neighbor Brison Means said.

Because of the nature of these charges, Bennett was denied bond.

DeKalb police say if you need a gun safe, you pick one up from them for free.

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