A dad in Tennessee was arrested after his 5-year-old son found his gun and fatally shot himself.
Marquavious Washington was charged with criminally negligent homicide, aggravated child abuse and reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon following the death of his son, Tamir Washington.
The incident took place when Tamir was at his family’s home in Memphis, Tennessee, on the afternoon of Monday, August 18. His mother, Rodnesha Walker, told WMC that he was doing his homework and eating when she left the room with his brother.
While unattended, Tamir allegedly found his father’s firearm and subsequently shot himself in the head.
Shelby County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the home, where they found Tamir “laying on the ground bleeding from his head” and “moaning and moving.” One officer held a towel and applied pressure to the wound, but the boy’s “bleeding was severe,” according to court records obtained by Law & Crime.
“The wound appeared consistent with a gunshot wound to the head,” the court document added.
Emergency personnel also arrived at the home and provided medical care for the boy until they were able to transport him to a nearby children’s hospital.
Less than one hour after police arrived at the family’s home, Tamir succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead.
Shortly after the shooting, Washington, 24, was reportedly “standing in the front yard” and “yelling about how he did not know how Tamir Washington had found his gun,” according to the court documents.
Meanwhile, Walker was pacing around the area and was “frantic and screaming” while “covered in blood.”
Neighbors reportedly tried to help the family after the shooting, with one neighbor telling officers that she was inside her home when she heard “a loud knocking on her door.” She said she first noticed the scene in the front yard and recalled hearing someone say, “He shot himself.”
Once deputies arrived at the home, they found a black handgun on a bed in a bedroom. Authorities also noted that there was “a large amount of blood on the floor of the residence.”
Washington was arrested and booked into the Shelby County Jail. He is currently being held on a $100,000 bond, and he is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday, August 20.
It’s not currently clear if Washington has entered a plea or retained legal counsel following his arrest. The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to Us’ request for comment regarding the case.
