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Insets: Tashaun Adams and Selena Farrell. Background: Cops in Covington, Kentucky, investigate after a 3-year-old boy accidentally shot his 2-year-old brother to death (WLWT).
In Kentucky, a couple faced conviction after their 3-year-old son accessed a firearm from the dresser in his bedroom, resulting in the tragic accidental shooting of his 2-year-old brother.
Following a weeklong trial, Tashaun Adams, aged 23, and Selena Farrell, aged 25, were found guilty of reckless homicide in the death of Khalil Adams. The verdict was delivered on Friday, as reported by the Kenton County Commonwealth’s Attorney. The jury also found them guilty of child abandonment.
According to police, on a January afternoon in 2024, Adams and Farrell were asleep and not supervising their young children, who were left to play in their bedroom at the family’s Covington apartment. The older child was aware that his father kept a gun in the dresser of the room where he and his sibling slept.
“Daddy’s gun is in the drawer,” the young boy later explained to police officers, according to a criminal complaint cited by the Cincinnati Enquirer.
The toddler took hold of the gun and began playing with it, leading to the accidental shooting of his brother. Khalil was immediately transported by paramedics to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead by medical staff.
Adams testified he was sleeping when he heard a gunshot. He ran to the bedroom where he saw Khalil on the floor.
“His eyes were closed,” he reportedly said. “It didn’t look like he was breathing.”
He has accepted responsibility for his actions.
“I blame myself for it every day,” he testified, the Enquirer stated.
While Adams stayed on scene, Farrell fled. She was arrested a few days later at a hotel where she told cops she “knew Khalil was going to die and wanted to attend his funeral,” local NBC affiliate WLWT reported.
Kenton County Commonwealth Prosecutor Rob Sanders told reporters at the time that the shooting, while tragic, was no accident.
“I really don’t like the term accident, because I think accidents, in my mind, are unavoidable,” he said. “This was not an unavoidable set of circumstances. This shooting death was caused by the fact that two adults left a loaded handgun with a round in the chamber within reach of a 3-year-old child that they did not supervise.”
Sanders delivered the closing argument to jurors where he reiterated the same point.
“This case is about the parents’ choices,” he said, per the Enquirer. “They made lots of mistakes, but they weren’t accidents.”
What’s worse is Adams had been warned before about the dangers of leaving an unsecured gun within reach of children. About two years before the shooting, cops reportedly found a gun — the same one used to kill Khalil — unsecured in a bedroom. A few months later authorities with the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services once again discovered a gun within reach of the kids, prosecutors stated, according to the Enquirer.
Adams reportedly signed a prevention plan advising he would ensure a “safe and stable environment” where the kids were adequately supervised.
Per the Enquirer, jurors recommended Adams serve five years and Farrell seven years. A sentencing date has yet to be set.