A Palmetto man’s failure to secure his handgun triggered a near-fatal accident when a 9-year-old found the weapon and shot a 5-year-old in the chest, according to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.
Robert Richard Giles, 36, is charged with culpable negligence involving a firearm, a third-degree felony, in connection with a March 25 shooting, according to court records. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison under Florida law.
Deputies responded to a home on 57th Street East in Palmetto and found a 5-year-old suffering from a gunshot wound to the upper chest, according to the arrest report…