Kentucky parents are facing manslaughter charges after their 3-year-old son found a loaded gun and fatally shot his 2-year-old brother last week, according to local authorities.
Kenton County Commonwealth Attorney Rob Sanders said during a press conference on Friday the toddler’s shooting death “was caused” by the parents leaving a loaded firearm where a toddler could find it.
“This was very much avoidable,” said Sanders. “It was caused by the fact that two adults left a loaded handgun with a round in the chamber in reach of a 3-year-old who they did not supervise.”
Selena Farrell, 23, of Covington, Kentucky, was identified as the mother of the victim and 3-year-old. She’s facing multiple charges including second-degree manslaughter, possession of a handgun by a convicted felon and abandonment, the Covington Police Department (CPD) said in an online statement.
Tashaun Adams, 21 of Covington, identified as the father, is also facing a second-degree manslaughter charge in addition to hindering apprehension for helping Farrell hideout at a hotel, CPD said.
Kenton County Detention Center, Boone County Jail
A third person, 20-year-old Jeremiah Thomas of Elsmere, is charged with hindering apprehension for also helping Farrell hide after she fled the scene. Sanders said during the press conference that Thomas was the parents’ roommate and was in the apartment at the time of the shooting but not in the same room.
Newsweek reached out via email on Sunday night to Sanders’ office and the CPD for comment and an update on the case. It was unclear if Farrell or Adams had retained an attorney who could speak on their behalf.
The fatal shooting happened on January 22, with CPD officers responding to the call around 12:40 p.m. regarding a 2-year-old who had been shot at a residence on Warren Street in Covington. As officers arrived at the Skyline Apartments, Adams was seen carrying the little boy who was suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest, according to Adams’ criminal complaint obtained by local station WXIX.
Officers rendered aid to the toddler in the street until paramedics arrived and transported him to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, according to the court documents.
Farrell fled the scene before police arrived, and she never showed up at the hospital to check on her 2-year-old, CPD said. U.S. Marshals tracked her down on a probation violation and she was found in a Boone County hotel room on January 25.
She told investigators that she left the scene because there was a warrant for her arrest, saying that she knew her son was going to die and she wanted to be able to attend his funeral, the documents allege.
During police questioning, Adams said that he and Farrell were in the living room of their one-bedroom apartment when they heard a gunshot. He said he found their younger son bleeding heavily and called 911, according to the criminal complaint.
The 3-year-old told police that “Daddy’s gun is in the drawer” and said that “Spider-Man” was on TV when he got the weapon.
When asked who shot his younger brother, the 3-year-old responded “me,” the document states.
Investigators believe the parents caused the 2-year-old’s death by “failing to protect” the toddler from his brother “when a loaded handgun with a bullet in the chamber was within the 3-year-old’s reach,” according to the criminal complaint.
Farrell told police she purchased the gun before she was convicted of a felony but gave it to Adams, who said he kept it “for protection.”
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