A Florida man has been charged after his 8-year-old child was playing with his gun Saturday and accidentally killed a 1-year-old and wounded another child, cops said.
Roderick Randall, 45, is facing charges after a shooting Saturday at the Lion’s Motel in Pensacola, Florida, where he was staying with his son, KAIT 8 reported.
Cops say the boy started playing with his father’s gun it before accidentally fired, shooting 1-year-old Kacey Bass and her 2-year-old sister, Local 10 reported.
Cops say Randall left the room while his girlfriend was sleeping, authorities added he also left his gun in the closet. Cops say while playing with the gun, the boy accidentally fired off a round with a single bullet, causing the fatal shot to the infant and then hitting the toddler, theNew York Post reported.
“He pulls the gun from the holster, starts playing with it and fires a round into the 1-year-old toddler, ultimately killing the 1-year-old. The bullet then goes through and strikes one of the 2-year-old toddlers who’s injured but is expected to recover,” Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons said at a press conference.
The toddler is expected to recover, KAIT 8 reported.
Simmons said Randall, his son, his girlfriend and the woman’s three young daughters were sharing a room at the motel.
“Roderick decides to come back, grabs the weapon and grabs what we believe is drugs, and he leaves the scene before returning back to the scene,” Simmons said.
Randall was later arrested by police and charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, tampering with evidence, failure to store a firearm and culpable negligence.
Simmons said that the incident could have been prevented.
“We need these parents to step up and do a better job because the decisions that they make can cost. In this case, they can cost the lives of our most precious resource — that’s our children,” Simmons said.
Authorities say Randall has a lengthy criminal history and should have never had the gun.
Digital has obtained his criminal records for previous arrests and it includes drugs charges, aggravated battery and evading police.
Randall posted a $41,000 bond and was released from county jail on Sunday night. He is due back in court in three weeks, he did not enter a plea and it is unclear if he has obtained council.