Arrest made in accidental shooting death of 5 year old Texas boy

A live-in babysitter was arrested in the accidental shooting death of a 5-year-old boy left in her care, Orange County, Texas, law enforcement officials said. Sheriff's department's Chief Deputy Clint Hodgkinson said Melissa Ringhardt, 19, was charged Tuesday with endangering a child, left in her care at the family's home near Vidor, Texas, KDFM-TV, Beaumont, reported. Authorities said Ringhardt, who was living with the family for several months, was caring for a 6-month-old baby at the time, who was unharmed. Investigators said Ringhardt had a 40-caliber pistol because she was afraid to be alone in the home. She fell asleep and left the pistol on a table in the living room. When she awoke, she found the child, John Read, dead with a gunshot wound to the head. "People have the right to bear arms and with that comes great responsibility," Hodgkinson said. "If someone somehow puts a firearm in a place where a child is able to get that weapon, you've committed an offense." Hodgkinson said investigators know "he did accidentally shoot himself." "Someone has to be held responsible for this, because it's not something we can just let go," Hodgkinson said. "We have an innocent child's name on our hands and we gotta do something with this."