Man charged with felony after girlfriend's 2-year-old son finds gun, shoots himself in face



SEATTLE -- The boyfriend of a woman whose 2-year-old son got hold of a loaded gun and accidentally shot himself in the face was charged Tuesday with a felony count of unlawful possession of a firearm.

The defendant, Francois Cunningham, 56, is not allowed to possess a firearm because he is a felon, court documents say.

The boy is expected to survive, police said.

Cunningham and the mother of the boy took the toddler to Harborview Medical Center Monday morning, after being awakened to the sound of a gunshot in their room at the Munson Motel in south Seattle.

Police said their investigation showed that the toddler had gotten hold of a loaded gun in the motel room and accidentally shot himself while his mom and her boyfriend were sleeping. Police said that Cunningham and his girlfriend were cooperative with police.

According to court documents, both Cunninghman and his girlfriend said they didn't own the Glock handgun that the boy used to shoot himself. But the manager of the motel told police the room had been thoroughly cleaned before the couple checked in with the toddler.

Initially, Seattle police only said that the boy had shot himself. But court documents Monday said that the boy shot himself in the face, which "caused severe facial bleeding and concussion/brain bleeding which required several hours of surgery at Harborview."

Bail for Cunningham was set at $150,000. His arraignment is scheduled for July 25.