TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2020

Derrius J. Atkinson has been charged with felony involuntary manslaughter in connection with the Aug. 6 death of Rodshawn Malik Barnes.

Derrius Atkinson, a Wake Forest, North Carolina teenager pled guilty and was sentenced to 13-25 months in prison in connection with a 2018 gun accident that left his best friend dead. Atkinson was also ordered to pay restitution.

Rodshawn Barnes, Atkinson, and two other boys were playing video games at Barnes’ home, while also playing with a 9mm gun. Although the details of the accident remain unclear, according to Atkinson, one of the other boys “threw the gun and it went off.” Barnes was shot and killed. Atkinson apparently fled with the gun, which has never been recovered. Criminal cases against the other two boys who were present at the time of the accident remain pending.

Prior to the accident, Atkinson was a straight-A student and a standout basketball player at Community Christian School. He completed his high school diploma in prison. At the time of sentencing, Atkinson apologized to Barnes’ family. Barnes’ grandmother told the Court, “My grandson can’t speak for himself anymore. Life is no game.”

Source:

Olivia Neeley, “Teen Pleads Guilty in 2018 Accidental Shooting,” The Wake Weekly (March 10, 2020).

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From the Archives

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 12, 2022

Three more two-year olds were shot and killed today after small children found unattended loaded guns in their homes. Four American two-year olds have died from unintended gun violence in just two days.

In Callaway, Florida, a four-year old shot a two-year old sibling, according to the Sheriff’s Office. “We’ll be evaluating and gathering evidence. We’ll be getting statements and talking to the State Attorney’s Office to see if charges are warranted and sometimes, they’re not,” the office announced.

In Phoenix, Arizona, Kayden Lewis, a two year old, was shot and killed while his parents were using the Tik-Tok app on their bed. The child’s father, Joshua Lewis, apparently routinely left a loaded gun in a location accessible to his children. He told officers “he did not know if the two-year-old shot himself or if the weapon was fired by a three-year-old child who was also inside the apartment.”

Lewis was arrested and charged with one count of “child abuse recklessness.” During his initial appearance in court, a judge said he didn’t think that Lewis had ill intent in the incident, but that "due to recklessness" someone was killed.

Finally, in Memphis, Tennessee, a five-year old shot and killed a two-year old sibling with a loaded handgun that their mother had left on a nightstand. The woman, Tatyana Taylor, initially staged an incident to make it look like it had occurred after a shot was fired outside the home. Taylor was arrested and charged with “reckless homicide, tampering with evidence, reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon and false reporting.”

Sources:

Dani Travis, “Update: BCSO Officials say 4-yea r-old Sibling Accidentally Shot and Killed 2-year-old,” wjhg.com (January 13, 2022).

“Child Dies After Accidental Shooting at North Phoenix Apartment,” wabc15.com (January 13, 2022).

“Woman Facing Charges After 2-year-old Shot and Killed by 5-year-old, Affidavit Says,” actionnews5.com (January 14, 2022).

Shattered – The Gun Accident Journal

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