On April 3, 2022, 3-year-old Amari Williams fatally shot himself in the head at his home on Crimson Leaf Lane in Jacksonville, Florida. While his mother was taking a shower, the child was being supervised by his maternal grandmother and maternal great-aunt. The child walked down a hallway and entered his maternal uncle Alexander Sibley's bedroom, where a loaded Smith and Wesson .40 caliber handgun was stored unsecured in a dresser drawer alongside candy. The family believes the child was attempting to retrieve candy from the drawer when he accessed the gun. The mother called 911 and performed CPR, but EMS pronounced the child deceased at 12:49 p.m. Sibley, a convicted felon with an extensive 18-page criminal history including cocaine trafficking, was prohibited from possessing a firearm. He was arrested and charged with possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, with bond set at $150,000.
Contexts/Conditions
Is there any mention of child drug ingestion or overdose?
Is there any mention of a drowning incident (either intentional or accidental)?
Is there any mention of a firearm incident?
The fatality report states "3-year-old Amari shot himself in his home." The firstcoastnews article describes "a toddler killed by a self-inflicted gunshot wound." The news4jax article states the child "was found dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound." The actionnewsjax article says "A three-year-old boy is dead after police say he shot himself in the head." A loaded Smith and Wesson .40 caliber handgun was found in front of the child.
Is there any mention of inappropriate supervision (e.g., child wandered off and drowned)?
The fatality report states that the mother "asked the grandmother and aunt to watch the child while she took a shower." The grandmother and aunt "stated that he was playing with toys and when he walked down the hallway, they thought he was going to his room. They then heard a loud pop and found the child in the uncle's bedroom laying on the floor, bleeding." The supervising adults lost visual contact with the child and did not prevent him from entering the uncle's room where an unsecured, loaded firearm was accessible, indicating a lapse in supervision.
Is there any mention of inflicted injury? (e.g. slapped, punched, kicked, choked)
Is there any mention of malnutrition, starvation, or dehydration?
Is there any mention of medical neglect?
Is there any mention of a motor vehicle crash or incident?
Is there any mention of a murder-suicide incident?
Is there any mention of outdoor elements (including hot car deaths)?
Is there any mention of prenatal substance exposure (including fetal alcohol syndrome or neonatal abstinence syndrome)?
Is there any mention of sexual abuse?
Is there any specific mention of shaken baby or abusive head trauma?
Is there any mention of prolonged abuse or torture (including restraints, captivity)?
Is there any mention of an unsafe sleeping environment?
Individuals Involved
Was an adoptive parent or guardian involved in the death?
Was a biological father involved in the death?
Was a biological mother involved in the death?
Was a day care worker, babysitter, or nanny involved in the death?
Was a female paramour or friend involved in the death (e.g., girlfriend, stepmother)?
Was a foster parent involved in the death?
Was a male paramour or friend involved in the death (e.g., boyfriend, stepfather)?
Was another adult relative involved in the death? (e.g., grandfather, aunt)
The fatality report identifies the maternal uncle, Alexander Sibley, as the person who kept a loaded Smith and Wesson .40 caliber handgun unsecured in a dresser drawer alongside candy. The report states: "The uncle stated he found the gun in the front yard in February and left it in the dresser." The child accessed this gun while trying to get candy from that drawer. Additionally, the maternal grandmother and maternal great-aunt were the supervising adults who lost track of the child. The uncle was arrested and charged with "possession of a weapon by a convicted felon" as reported in multiple news articles.
Was a sibling involved in the death?
Child Characteristics
Was the child adopted?
Was the child homeschooled (including "cyberschooling") or taken out of school?
Was the child in foster care at the time of the incident?
Was the child living with relatives at the time of the incident (but not parents)?
Is there any mention of a neurological developmental child disability? (e.g., autism, intellectual disability, nonverbal)
Is there any mention of a physical child disability? (e.g., feeding tube)
Is there any mention of prematurity or low birthweight?
Is there a history of child protection reports prior to death (for this child or siblings)?
Does the child have a history of foster care (but not in care at time of incident)?
Is there a history of a sibling death (separate incident from this death)?
Parent/Caregiver Factors
Was an adult charged or arrested for the child's death?
The maternal uncle Alexander Sibley was arrested and charged with possession of a weapon by a convicted felon in connection with the child's death. The firstcoastnews article states: "A Jacksonville man is facing charges in relation to the death of a toddler." The news4jax article describes him as "charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in connection with the apparent accidental shooting death Sunday of a child." However, the firstcoastnews article also explicitly notes: "He has not been charged with any crime directly related to the child's death." The charge was for illegal weapon possession rather than a charge naming the death as an element (such as manslaughter or negligent homicide), making this ambiguous.
Is domestic violence by the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is there any mention that the death occurred in a temporary shelter or while homeless?
Is an intellectual disability of the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is the mental health of the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is a history of arrests or criminal charges for the parent/caregiver referenced?
The fatality report states: "The uncle has an extensive criminal history including a felony conviction for trafficking cocaine. As a convicted felon he could not possess a gun." The firstcoastnews article reports: "it was revealed that Sibley has an 18-page criminal history, including trafficking cocaine and suspended licenses." The news4jax article adds: "Sibley was convicted of trafficking cocaine in Duval County, sentenced to prison in 2015 and then released in 2016. Court documents also show Sibley was a habitual traffic offender." These convictions and criminal history clearly predate the current incident; the only charge arising from this incident is possession of a weapon by a convicted felon.
Is substance use by the parent/caregiver referenced?
Notable Details
Several notable details emerge from the sources. The fatality report states: "The family believes the child went into the uncle's room to get some candy which was kept in a drawer that also contained a loaded Smith and Wesson .40 caliber handgun." The co-location of candy and a loaded firearm in the same drawer essentially created a lethal lure for the child. The uncle claimed he "found the gun in the front yard in February and left it in the dresser" despite being a convicted felon prohibited from possessing firearms. The grandmother "initially stated to law enforcement that she knew the uncle had the gun but later denied this," indicating inconsistent statements to investigators. Florida law explicitly "requires firearms that could potentially be accessed by a minor to be kept in a locked box, a secure location, or secured with a trigger lock" (firstcoastnews). Additionally, the uncle refused drug screening while all other household members tested negative.
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