- Kentucky parents charged with manslaughter after 3-year-old shoots and kills 2-year-old sibling with a loaded gun left within reach.
- Mother fled the scene before law enforcement arrived and did not show up at the hospital where her son later passed away.
- Statistics show that hundreds of children have been killed while playing with guns in the past two decades, highlighting the need for responsible parenting and safe storage laws.
Additional Coverage:
Kentucky authorities have charged the parents of a 3-year-old toddler who fatally shot his 2-year-old brother with manslaughter. Kenton County Commonwealth Attorney Rob Sanders expressed his belief that the tragic incident could have been avoided during a news conference. Sanders emphasized that the shooting death occurred because the parents left a loaded handgun within reach of their unsupervised 3-year-old child.
The mother, 23-year-old Selena Farrell, was arraigned on charges of second-degree manslaughter and other charges. The children’s father, 21-year-old Tashaun Adams, has been arrested on second-degree manslaughter charges but has not yet been arraigned. The incident took place in an apartment in Northern Kentucky, and the toddler was rushed to the hospital but later died.
According to reports, Farrell allegedly fled the scene before law enforcement arrived and did not show up at the hospital where her son, Khalil Adams, passed away. Sanders revealed that Farrell stated she fled because she did not want to be held in jail and potentially miss her child’s funeral, although she fled while the child was still alive. The parents claimed they had the loaded handgun for protection and lived in a one-bedroom apartment with another person, sleeping on a floor mattress while the toddlers slept on a couch.
Farrell was located by U.S. Marshals hiding out in a hotel room in Florence, Kentucky, and was brought in on an outstanding probation warrant related to a prior felony conviction. She was with the children’s father and another person who had no familial relationship with the parents. All three were taken into custody.
Sanders mentioned that Farrell purchased the gun from a federally licensed arms dealer. The surviving 3-year-old toddler does not have any physical injuries. Adams is currently held in Boone County jail, while Farrell is held at the Kenton County Detention Center in Covington, Kentucky.
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed that hundreds of children have been killed while playing with guns in the past two decades. More than 50% of these deaths occurred inside the child’s own house, usually in an apartment or home. Sanders emphasized the importance of parents properly supervising their children and placing a greater emphasis on responsible parenting rather than solely relying on legislation.
However, gun control advocates argue that safe storage procedures and laws can help reduce unintentional shootings. A report released by Everytown For Gun Safety in 2023 stated that safe storage or child access prevention laws exist in 26 states by the beginning of 2024. More than half of the children between the ages of zero to five years old died from self-inflicted gunshots, while over half of the children accidentally killed by another person were under the age of 10.