An 8-year-old accidentally shot himself in the throat Sunday and the Harvey man who left the gun in a clothes hamper has been booked with cruelty to a juvenile, according to the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office.

Dominique Hines, 19, of 2409 Woodmere Blvd., was arrested Tuesday and is in the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center in Gretna in lieu of $20,000 bail.

The child is in stable condition, authorities said.

Investigators also arrested Jarius Palmer, 18, of 3713 Inwood Drive, Harvey, and booked him with possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia after authorities searching his home for the gun used in the shooting found a small amount of marijuana and rolling papers.

Investigators learned of the incident after the boy was taken to Ochsner Medical Center West Bank, because he had been complaining about head and neck pain, according to an arrest report. When doctors X-rayed the boy, they found a bullet in his throat.

According to the arrest report, the boy initially told doctors he mistakenly swallowed the bullet because he thought it was candy. However, after the child was taken to Ochsner's main campus in Jefferson, doctors determined that the boy had a gunshot wound and notified the Sheriff's Office.

When investigators questioned the boy, he said he found a gun in Hines' hamper Sunday night and began playing with it. The boy said he placed the gun in his mouth and it accidentally discharged, according to the report. The boy, who said he returned the gun to the hamper, told investigators he had a headache Sunday night and Monday. He was taken to the hospital Tuesday and treated in the pediatric intensive care unit, the report stated.

Hines said he received a small-caliber revolver from a friend on Saturday to use for personal protection, investigators said. He told them he left it in a hamper in his bedroom. He said that when he learned of the child's injuries, he and a friend threw the weapon in the Industrial Canal in New Orleans, the report stated.

Hines' relatives said the boy showed no outward signs of injury. The child is from Baton Rouge but was in Harvey for the summer.

The Louisiana Department of Social Services is investigating the shooting. It is unclear what the child's relationship is to Hines or the residents of the home.

Hines was booked with cruelty to a juvenile because his negligence contributed to the child's injury, said Sgt. Larry Dyess, a spokesman for the Sheriff's Office. The shooting took place at Hines' grandmother's house, where Hines had been living for about a week before the shooting.