Durham man charged in 4-year-old’s accidental shooting. Mother also arrested.
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- Durham police arrested a second adult in the 4-year-old’s November accidental shooting.
- Authorities charged Shawn Baker with four felonies and a misdemeanor related to the case.
- The child’s mother previously faced felony child abuse and a firearm misdemeanor.
Durham police arrested a second person this week in connection with a 4-year-old boy’s accidental shooting of himself with an unsecured gun in November.
Shawn Baker, 46, was charged Monday with four felonies — negligent child abuse with serious bodily injury, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, trafficking in fentanyl and maintaining a dwelling for a controlled substance — according to a news release. Baker also was charged with misdemeanor permitting a child to use a firearm, it said.
Durham police confirmed Wednesday that Baker is the boy’s father. He is being held in the Durham County jail under a $75,000 secured bond and is scheduled to appear in court again Jan. 27.
The boy’s mother, Assante Moore, 44, was charged after the Nov. 17 shooting with felony child abuse and misdemeanor permitting a child the use of a firearm, police have said. She has since been released on bond, records show.
The boy, who has not been named, was taken to the hospital with serious injuries after accidentally shooting himself with the unsecured gun at a home in the 1600 block of Greenbriar Road. Baker’s arrest record shows that Moore owned the Glock 10mm handgun used in the shooting.
N.C. Department of Adult Correction records show Baker was previously convicted of second-degree murder in connection with a 2001 robbery. Baker was released in 2019 after serving over 18 years in prison on the murder and robbery charges, records show.
Police have not provided an update on the boy’s condition. Moore is scheduled to return to court Jan. 20.
It was the second accidental shooting involving a 4-year-old Durham boy and an unsecured firearm in November.
This story was originally published January 7, 2026 at 10:39 AM.
