Chula Vista
The parents of a 5-year-old girl who accidentally shot a playmate in the head Thanksgiving Day pleaded guilty Monday to felony child endangerment.
Thomas Armenta Molina, 58, and Irma Reyes Molina, 28, both of Chula Vista, entered their pleas before San Diego Municipal Judge Jesus Rodriguez.
The victim, Mary Ann Burns, 2, was near death but made a surprising recovery and is out of the hospital.
Deputy Dist. Atty. Aaron Katz said a witness heard the mother saying, before the shooting, that it was all right for her daughter to show the gun to someone.
When the Molinas are sentenced Feb. 9 they both could receive a year in jail and a $1,000 fine. Without their plea bargain, the couple could have been sentenced to a maximum of four years in state prison.
They both are free on their own recognizance. Their children have been placed in foster homes.
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