3-year-old dies after shooting himself with AR-15 he was playing with, TN cops say

A 3-year-old boy in Memphis, Tennessee, died Sunday, March 27, after shooting himself in the head while playing with an AR-15 left in his mother’s room, according to court records.

The child’s mother, Tinesha Jackson, is charged with criminally negligent homicide, and her friend, Tedrick Butler, who told police that he brought the AR-15 to Jackson’s house, is charged with multiple counts, including criminally negligent homicide, possession of a prohibited weapon, tampering with evidence and possession of a controlled substance, the affidavit says.

The child and his 4-year-old brother went into Jackson’s room, where an AR-15 was left unsecured while Jackson and Butler were out of the house, according to court records. The children were left under the care of their uncle, who told police he was asleep on the couch when he heard a gunshot.

The uncle told police he then found his nephew on the floor with the AR-15 lying on top of a storage box at the foot of Jackson’s bed, according to court records.

Jackson drove her son to Methodist South Hospital in Memphis, where he was pronounced dead, court records show.

This story was originally published March 28, 2022 at 6:41 PM with the headline "3-year-old dies after shooting himself with AR-15 he was playing with, TN cops say."