GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The parents of a 3-year-old who died after accidentally shooting himself at his Gainesville home have been arrested on several charges.
Gainesville Police said the 3-year-old had access to an unlocked gun in the home and was playing with the gun when it went off striking him on August 24 around 5:57 p.m. The child was taken to the hospital and died from his injuries.Â
During the investigation, police said both of the child’s parents were not home during the incident.Â
Detectives said the father of the 3-year-old, Ledrick Lataurus Ferguson, who is also a convicted felon, “knowingly left” two guns unsecured in the center console of a couch while in the presence of the child.Â
The child’s mother, Kayla Shelynn Carter, watched Ferguson place the guns in the couch console, police said.Â
It was also discovered that the parents routinely left “all three children (8 and under) in the care of a person not suited for that responsibility, who was also present on the day of the incident.”
Both parents were arrested on the following charges:Â
- Manslaughter
- Neglect Causing Great Bodily Harm,
- Two counts of neglect Without Causing Great Bodily Harm
- Unsafe Storage of a FirearmÂ
Ferguson was also charged with possession of a Firearm by a convicted felon.Â
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