A father in Florida has been arrested after his 9-year-old son found his gun and shot his 5-year-old brother in the chest.
Robert Giles has been charged with one count of culpable negligence by leaving a firearm within easy reach of a minor, according to Manatee County court records viewed by Us Weekly.
The incident took place at a residence in Palmetto on March 25. Deputies reported to the home after they received a report about a “shooting with injuries,” according to an arrest warrant obtained by Law & Crime. When law enforcement entered the home, they allegedly found a 5-year-old boy “suffering from a gunshot wound to the upper chest.”
The charging documents stated that a bullet “traveled through his body, striking his clavicle and piercing his lung before exiting.”
Investigators ultimately determined that Giles’ son “located a firearm inside the primary bedroom” and then accidentally “discharged” the weapon, “striking [a boy with a different last name] in the chest.”
It was also concluded that the 9-year-old boy never intended to find the gun. Instead, the older boy “stated he entered his father’s bedroom while searching for Pokemon pens,” according to the warrant complaint. “While searching, he located a firearm on the floor under the bed.”
Giles, 36, told deputies that the gun, which was identified as a Canik 9 mm, had been stored in a nightstand next to his bed. Additionally, he said that the weapon was stored with “a round in the chamber but without a magazine inserted.”
The defendant allegedly said he was in the kitchen when “he heard a loud ‘pop'” and discovered the younger boy had been shot in his chest near his right shoulder.
Giles then “stated he subsequently secured the firearm by placing it in a safe.”
As the officers walked through the home, they observed blood in the hallway that appeared to have originated “from the primary bedroom,” per the warrant.
It’s believed the bullet traveled through a wall of the bedroom, into an outer wall and out of the residence, per the warrant. As the search of the home continued, investigators found the gun in a safe within the home.
“Inside the residence, a large gun safe was located in a secured condition,” the charging document stated. “Upon opening the safe, deputies observed a Canik 9mm handgun lying on a shelf with a magazine next to it. Multiple additional firearms were also present inside the safe. This safe was within the same room in which the shooting occurred, and within ten feet of where [Giles’ son] located the firearm.”
Investigators determined a spent casing was still in the chamber and the gun was collected as evidence.
“The firearm was not secured in a manner that would prevent access by a minor,” the charging document said. “[Giles son] described in his interview to have located the firearm under the bed and mentioned nothing about removing it from holster or any other secured location.”
The warrant stated that the accidental discharge of the gun caused “serious bodily injury” to the 5-year-old, stating he “was intubated for approximately five days and remains hospitalized while recovering from his injuries.”
Giles was arrested on April 2 and booked in the Manatee County Jail. He was later released after he posted a $2,500 bond.
He appeared in court on Friday, May 15, and entered a not guilty plea, Us can confirm. Giles’ next court date has not yet been scheduled.
