FREDERICK, Colo. — The mother of a 3-year-old boy who fatally shot himself in the head was charged with criminally negligent child abuse resulting in death this week.

The Weld County District Attorney’s office confirmed the Class 3 felony charge was filed against Dione Warren on Monday night. Warren could serve up to 12 years in prison if convicted.

The district attorney’s office said it was Warren who made the emergency call on the night of Oct. 28, summoning officers to her home in the 500 block of Pine Street on a report that her 3-year-old son, later identified at Sheine Steine, had fallen and was bleeding from a head wound.

Steine was rushed to the hospital after officers arrived on scene, but ultimately died of his injuries.

Investigators said they found a gun near the child in the home and “it appeared to have been fired,” but they did not say who shot the gun. Investigators later determined the toddler had accidentally shot himself.

Police said the weapon was a legally-owned .40 caliber Glock, model 23 handgun, and it belonged to the child’s stepfather, who was not at home at the time of the shooting.

The district attorney’s office said Steine found the gun inside a mattress frame in Warren’s bedroom. Warren had left Steine home alone while taking her older daughter to school, according to investigators.