A 3-year-old killed her brother with her mother’s gun. The mother won’t face jail time

Erica Bautista, a former correctional officer from Chowchilla, was sentenced to five years probation and 500 hours of community service after pleading guilty to a felony child abuse charge that resulted after her 3-year-old daughter used Bautista’s gun to accidentally shoot her infant son, ABC 30 reported.

Bautista was arrested in February and charged with felony manslaughter and child abuse. She faced a maximum prison sentence of more than 10 years if convicted of both.

Police say the handgun the toddler used was registered to Bautista and not stored properly. It was not a duty weapon used in her job as a correctional officer.

The Madera County District Attorney’s office did not respond to a request for comment by deadline.

This story was originally published January 19, 2018 at 4:36 PM with the headline "A 3-year-old killed her brother with her mother’s gun. The mother won’t face jail time."