Mother charged after 5-year-old accidentally shot on West Side

SUN-TIMES MEDIA WIRE - A woman is facing a misdemeanor charge after her 5-year-old daughter accidentally shot herself Tuesday night in the East Garfield Park neighborhood.

The 5-year-old girl found a handgun unsecured in her mother’s purse in a bedroom of their home in the 3700 block of Ferdinand about 8 p.m., according to Chicago Police. She accidentally shot herself in the abdomen, police said.

The girl’s family took her to Rush University Medical Center, and she was transferred to Stroger Hospital in serious condition, police said.

The girl’s mother, 22-year-old Larrinita Starks, was charged with one misdemeanor count of child endangerment, police said. She was released on her own recognizance, and is scheduled to appear in court March 16 at 555 W. Harrison.