Mother of 5-year-old killed in DeKalb County apartment shooting granted bond

DECATUR, Ga. - A DeKalb County mother charged in the shooting death of her 5-year-old son has been granted bond, though prosecutors say she did not pull the trigger.

Lanecia Bennett released from jail

What we know:

Lanecia Bennett, 25, was released from the DeKalb County Jail on Saturday after a judge set her bond at $30,000 during a hearing Friday in DeKalb County Superior Court. Judge Winston Bethel ordered Bennett to comply with the Division of Children and Families, prohibited her from possessing or being around firearms, and barred her from speaking to her two surviving children about the shooting.

Lanecia Bennett (DeKalb County Sheriff's Office)

5-year-old killed in shooting

The backstory:

Bennett is facing charges of second-degree murder and cruelty to children in connection with the July 24 shooting at The Village at Wesley Chapel Apartment Homes on Pleasant Point Drive.

Officers responded around 2:30 p.m. that afternoon and found the 5-year-old boy suffering from gunshot wounds. He later died from his injuries. His name has not been released.

According to the DeKalb County Police Department, the child was shot by his twin brother, who found a loaded firearm inside a black purse in Bennett’s nightstand. Investigators say other young children were inside the apartment at the time.

"The gun was not locked in a gun safe or kept in a safe place," an arrest warrant states. "She was aware that the two brothers were inside her bedroom where she left the loaded gun."

Though Bennett did not fire the weapon, police said she is considered partially responsible for her son’s death.

What we don't know:

No word on when her next court appearance is scheduled.