MIAMI – A Miami mother was arrested Monday after she failed to take her 6-year-old son to a hospital when he was grazed by a bullet during spring break, police said.
Laqayette Dock, 21, faces charges of child abuse and child neglect causing great bodily harm.
According to an arrest affidavit, Dock was told by her son's biological father that the boy's 8-year-old cousin shot him, causing a bullet to graze his neck.
Instead of taking him to a hospital, Dock instead tried to self-treat the wound, saying she didn't think it was severe enough to require medical attention, police said.
When the boy returned to school from spring break Monday, he told the principal what happened. Paramedics were called and took the boy to Jackson Memorial Hospital to be treated.
Dock appeared in bond court Tuesday morning, when Miami-Dade County Judge Renatha Francis ordered that Dock be released on house arrest with an alternate bond of $10,000. Francis also ordered Dock to stay away from her son.
A shelter hearing was held Tuesday afternoon, at which time a judge granted temporary custody of Dock's son to his maternal great aunt.
Loved ones and close friends were inside the courtroom during the hearing to defend Dock.
"She's a great mom," Dock's friend, Elquita Williams, told Local 10 News. "You know, sometimes things happen or whatnot, but God does everything for a reason. You know, she's a great mom. She's going to be alright."
The Florida Department of Children and Families has opened an investigation into the incident.
"The department has opened a Child Protective Investigation due to this incident," DCF spokeswoman Beatriz Lopez de Martinez said in a statement. "The child involved in this incident is now in the care of family members. We will continue to work closely with law enforcement during the course of their criminal investigation."
Lopez de Martinez said all other information regarding DCF's involvement with the family is confidential.