MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA — A heartbreaking gun safety failure turned fatal after a 3-year-old boy shot himself while under the care of a babysitter who failed to properly secure a firearm, authorities said.
Child Found With Fatal Gunshot Wound Inside Home
The incident happened on October 21, 2024, while Elliot Staples III, 31, was babysitting JaJuan Robinson Jr., according to court records. Investigators said Staples was carrying a handgun in a holster on his hip when he went to use the bathroom. Before leaving the room, he removed the gun and placed it on the center of a kitchen island, believing the toddler could not reach it.
Moments later, Staples told police he heard a gunshot.
When he rushed back, he found JaJuan bleeding from a gunshot wound to the head. The child was transported to a hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead.
Gun Was Usually Stored Elsewhere, Police Say
According to a probable cause affidavit, Staples admitted that he normally places the firearm on top of the refrigerator, out of reach of children. He told investigators he did not do so this time because he felt “rushed.”…