GAINESVILLE, FL (352today.com) – The Gainesville Police Department (GPD) says a man was shot to death by a toddler who had access to a gun inside an apartment in Gainesville.
According to the police department, on March 24, emergency crews responded to a call of a person shot at the Lewis Place Apartments located at 4121 NE 15th St. around 7 p.m.
When they arrived at the scene, GPD says they were told that Bernard Carter III entered a family members’ apartment and said he’d been shot. They say several days later, Carter died from his injuries.
The Investigation
For a little less than a month, detectives worked to figure out who was involved in the incident or responsible for Carter’s death. On April 2, GPD shared in a Facebook post they were actively investigating the case.
|VOLUNTEER: Hunters seeking volunteers to pick up trash in Ocala National Forest during Earth Day weekend
On Thursday, April 18, the police department says detectives determined that Carter was “accidentally shot” by a toddler who was living in the home and had “immediate access to an unsecured handgun.” They say they were able to come to that conclusion based on an anonymous tip and interviews with those who were present at the time of the incident.
“The toddler grabbed the handgun, causing it to fire, striking Carter. Adults within the home knew what occurred but chose to cover-up the incident and actively misled law enforcement about the events surrounding Carter’s death for multiple weeks,” said authorities in a Facebook post.
They say this deprived the toddler and two other juveniles who witnessed the incident from receiving proper and necessary crisis-related services.
The investigation led authorities to issue arrest warrants for Carter’s mother, Lawanda Wade, and Carter’s brother, Quante Whitaker. Both have been charged with tampering with a witness and two counts of child abuse. GPD says Whitaker has also been charged with tampering with evidence and perjury during an official proceeding.
Wade was arrested during the evening hours of April 17.
As of Thursday morning, GPD said Whitaker had not been arrested. According to Alachua County Jail records, Whitaker still had not been booked into the jail as of this publication.
|READ: Former Marion County firefighter files lawsuit claiming county denied him cancer benefits
The police department is reminding citizens who possess a firearm at home to properly secure and store it in order to “keep another tragedy such as this one from occurring again.”
For more information firearm safety, click here.