On March 10, 2022, a 3-year-old boy was fatally shot at his family home on Old Elkton Highway in Giles County, Tennessee. The child's birth father claimed he had retrieved missing parts for a shotgun from his vehicle, assembled it inside the home, and was carrying it over his shoulder to go outside to shoot when it accidentally discharged, striking the child in the head. A paternal cousin present in the room gave a partially conflicting account, stating the gun was facing toward the child rather than away, and that the father had taken 1-2 Klonopin that day. After the shooting, the father took the child outside and disposed of the gun. The child was pronounced deceased at the scene by EMS. The autopsy determined the cause of death was a shotgun wound to the head and neck and ruled the manner of death as homicide, concluding the gun was functioning normally and someone had to pull the trigger. Despite the homicide ruling, no criminal charges were filed. DCS substantiated the allegation of abuse death against the birth father. Notably, the family had prior DCS history including a substantiated Lack of Supervision case involving the grandfather and an accidental gun discharge that struck one of the father's other children.
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 describes a fatal shotgun wound: "law enforcement reported that there was a gunshot wound to [child's] head." The autopsy confirms: "The cause of death is shotgun wound of the head and neck." The news article corroborates: "A 3-year-old was shot and killed on Thursday morning."
Is there any mention of inappropriate supervision (e.g., child wandered off and drowned)?
The FAST 2.0 Assessment in the fatality report scores the child's "Neglect" at 3 with the justification "LOS allegations" (Lack of Supervision). The fatality report also documents prior family DCS history: "the grandfather had been substantiated for Lack of Supervision in the past involving an accidental gun discharge that struck one of the father's other children in the arm." Additionally, the family's DCS history includes multiple prior substantiated LOS cases. The father was assembling and handling a loaded shotgun in the presence of a 3-year-old child.
Is there any mention of inflicted injury? (e.g. slapped, punched, kicked, choked)
The autopsy report quoted in the fatality report states: "Because the shotgun is functioning normally, someone had to pull the trigger to fire the gun. The child died at the hands of another, and manner of death is best classified as homicide." The child suffered a fatal shotgun wound to the head, constituting an inflicted injury.
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?
The fatality report explicitly identifies the biological father as the alleged perpetrator: "The case is classified as allegation substantiated, perpetrator substantiated against AP Birth Father." The closing summary further states: "The Alleged Perpetrator (AP) was identified as birth father." The father was present at the home and was the person handling the shotgun that killed the child.
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)
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)?
The fatality report documents extensive prior DCS history for the family. The "Family Case ID Detailed History" section shows multiple prior substantiated cases: "[REDACTED] /LOS (PHA AUPU) [REDACTED] ASPS/9-25-19", "[REDACTED] /LOS [REDACTED] ASPS/11-08-13", and "[REDACTED] /SEE [REDACTED] ASPS/5-18-05." Additional history includes multiple assessments and a prior SIU investigation. The debriefing notes state: "DCS history was discussed, and it was noted the grandfather had been substantiated for Lack of Supervision in the past involving an accidental gun discharge that struck one of the father's other children in the arm." The father also lost custody of his other two children due to allegations of child abuse and neglect.
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?
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?
The fatality report contains multiple references to the father's mental health. The mother "reported general concerns for the father's mental health. She reported he has drastic mood changes when stressed and believes he may have bipolar disorder, but has not been diagnosed." The report also documents "a history of traumatic grief for Mr. [REDACTED] from his childhood; he lost his older brother in high school and didn't speak for 2-3 months" and abuse by his stepmother. Additionally, the mother reported that the father "had suicidal ideations right after the death of [the child]."
Is a history of arrests or criminal charges for the parent/caregiver referenced?
The fatality report documents prior criminal history for the father separate from this incident. The FAST assessment scores "Criminal Activity: 1" for the father with the note "It is reported that Mr. [REDACTED] has a criminal history." During the home visit, the mother "reported Mr. [REDACTED] has prior legal issues in [REDACTED] County, mostly driving without a license." These references to prior criminal history predate and are separate from the child's death.
Is substance use by the parent/caregiver referenced?
The fatality report extensively documents substance use by both parents. The mother "consented to a Urine Drug Screen and tested positive for Benzodiazepines (BZO), Buprenorphine (BUP), and THC/Cannabinoids (THC)" and reported using "Xanax (BZO) within the last week, Subutex (BUP) in small amounts daily without a prescription." Regarding the father, the mother "maintained that Mr. [REDACTED] also has a history of pill abuse, including Xanax and Klonopin." The cousin reported the father "had taken two Klonopin the day of the incident."
Notable Details
Several notable details emerge from the fatality report. First, the grandfather had a prior DCS substantiation for Lack of Supervision "involving an accidental gun discharge that struck one of the father's other children in the arm" — a strikingly similar prior incident involving the same family. Second, despite the autopsy officially ruling the manner of death as homicide and stating "someone had to pull the trigger to fire the gun," the text states "no charges or arrests were brought by law enforcement or the DA." Third, the father disposed of the shotgun after the incident before law enforcement arrived, and law enforcement had to conduct a search warrant to try to locate it. Fourth, the father retained an attorney and was not cooperative with the DCS investigation, leaving the home shortly after the case manager arrived and declining a drug screen and follow-up interview. Fifth, the DCS case had repeated administrative reviews noting that "Case recordings need to be brought up to date" over many months, suggesting compliance issues with case documentation.
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