A Daytona Beach woman was charged with aggravated child abuse after a minor in her care shot himself with a firearm she had failed to secure, according to an incident report from the Daytona Beach Police Department.





A Daytona Beach woman was charged with aggravated child abuse after a minor in her care shot himself with a firearm she had failed to secure, according to an incident report from the Daytona Beach Police Department.

Police responded to reports of a shooting Tuesday around 7:30 p.m. to find a young, semiconscious male shot in the foot, the report said.

Initially the victim told police that he had been taking out the garbage when he was approached and robbed by three men, the report said, and he was shot when he attempted to flee.

But investigation into the blood trail revealed that he had been shot in his apartment, the report said, where police found a .40-caliber handgun in a closet and a matching shell casing on the bed in his bedroom.

[READ MORE: Daytona mother faces child neglect charge in shooting that left 2-year-old with leg wound, police say]

[READ MORE: Daytona mom called 9-1-1 after toddler shot; sister saw incident over chat]

Neighbors told police they heard the shot being fired and the boy leaving his apartment alone, the report said.

The boy admitted later, after he had been taken to Halifax Health Medical Center, that he had been unloading the handgun and had shot himself in the foot, the report said. He told police he was not suicidal and made up the three men because "he didn't want to look stupid," the report said.

When reached, Lauren Sheriffs, 37, told investigators the boy had a history of depression, post-traumatic stress syndrome from an abusive relationship with his father, and had made suicidal statements to his sister in New Jersey, the report said.

Due to the victim's changing story and his mental health history, he was taken into custody for mental evaluation under the state’s Baker Act.

After admitting she knew the boy had the handgun in his possession and had not secured it despite his mental health history, Sheriffs was charged with culpable negligence and arrested. The charge was later changed to aggravated child abuse. She is being held at the Volusia County Branch Jail without bail.

Six additional children in Sheriffs' care were placed with a caregiver, the report said. Police did not release the ages of the children.