May 19, 2023 2p
(WGTD)---A Kenosha teenager's fear of possibly having to go back to jail purportedly led to delays in getting treatment for his three-year-old sister's gunshot wound.
18-year-old Christian Koleske was charged Friday with reckless injury, possession of a firearm by an adjudicated delinquent, child neglect and providing false information. He's being held on a $25,000 bond.
According to the criminal complaint, a bullet went through the victim's upper left thigh.
Authorities found out about the shooting third-hand. The complaint says Koleske called his mother, but the woman couldn't leave work, so she called her mother who then called 911.
Police and paramedics arrived at 5122 19th Ave. But Koleske and his girlfriend who also was inside initially refused to let them in.
When they got in, they found the three-year-old lying on a bed, crying, with a bath towel draped over her leg. Koleske said he tried to care for the girl himself by giving her Tylenol and wrapping the wound with a towel. He said he even tried using popsicles to help with the pain and slow the bruising.
The defendant maintained the gunshot came from outside of the house, But officers smelled gun powder from a freshly fired gun, and also recovered a bullet and a casing from the bedroom.
"The defendant stated that because he was on probation he was never going to call the police or 911," the complaint reads. "Det. Weinke reports he pointed out to the defendant that ISH could have died and the defendant was adamant that he would not call the police."
According to the complaint, Koleske was adjudicated delinquent on multiple counts of burglary in Oct. of 2019. The adjudications prohibited the Koleske from ever owning or possessing a firearm.
The gun Koleske allegedly used was never found. Police got a run around, and eventually determined that it may have been passed to another individual who had already sold it.
The complaint quotes medical records as indicating that the child is expected to recover, although what remains is the possibility of "some motor deficit related to poor healing."
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