SHREVEPORT, Mar. 7, 2018-

A Shreveport man is behind bars after an incident that left a 7-year-old with a gunshot wound to the neck.

According to Shreveport Police:

On March 4, 2018 just after 12:00 pm, Shreveport Police patrol officers responded to the 3400 block of Jackson Street on initial reports of a 7-year-old with a laceration to the neck. Once on scene, officers were contacted by medics and told that the child had actually been shot, not cut, as was initially reported. He was transported to University Health Hospital and was immediately taken into surgery. He remains hospitalized and is said to be in stable condition.

Since Sunday, detectives have interviewed witnesses and meticulously combed through evidence to help them to piece together the events that led to the shooting. Through their investigation, detectives learned that a 13-year-old child and the 7-year-old victim were mimicking a video game and playing with a .22 rifle that was designed to look like an AR-15.

The 13-year-old believed that the rifle was an unloaded BB gun and shot the victim once in the neck during play. Both children were in the care of 29-year-old Anthony Dotie when the incident took place.

Investigators believe that Dotie concealed the weapon in the closet and told responding paramedics that the child had been cut on a broken window even though he was fully aware that the child had been shot. On March 6, 2018, Dotie was charged with one count each of Child Desertion and Obstruction of Justice.

Dotie is currently being housed at the Shreveport City Jail