21-month-old Boy Fatally Shoots Himself With Father’s Gun

In his Columbus, Ohio home, Jashawn Butler, age 21-months-old, shot and killed himself with a loaded gun he found in a safe that was not fully closed. The toddler’s father, Deshawn Butler, told police that he got distracted by Jashawn as he was securing the gun in the safe, and didn’t realize that door was ajar. Jashawn was rushed to the hospital in critical condition, where he later died. 

Butler fled the scene after the shooting, but later turned himself in. He was charged with felony child endangering.

Source:

Kierstin Lindkvist, “Father Charged After Toddler Fatally Shoots Himself With Unsecured Gun in Home,”abc6onyourside.com (July 12, 2026).