TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — Court documents show a man is charged in the death of his one-year-old son after an accidental shooting in early September.
Jevin Randle is 20 years old. He’s charged with culpable negligence for leaving a gun within reach of a child. Police said when that gun went off, it killed his son.
Documents show the shooting happened on Dick Wilson Boulevard September 6th at the Grove Park Apartments. The toddler was shot in the abdomen. Though the child was taken to the hospital for treatment, an autopsy showed the child died as a result of the gunshot wound.
The day of the shooting, Randle police he bathed his two one-year-old children then moved to a bedroom to watch television. Randle said the children left the bedroom to play. Then, Randle said he heard a “pop.” Upon hearing the pop, Randle said he went into the room where the sound came from where he found one of the children had been shot.
After further investigation, surveillance video recorded inside the apartment revealed more of what happened. The video showed Randle was in a bedroom when the shooting occurred. A loud, obvious gunshot can be heard on the video. That’s when Randle can be seen running to the bedroom where the children were. Randle is seen on camera carrying the injured child out of the bedroom where the gun went off.
During a search of the apartment, police found a Glock 19 handgun with a spent cartridge casing in the chamber. Police determined this was the gun that went off during the incident. An unsecured AK47 pistol was also found under a bed along with gun accessories and ammunition throughout the bedroom where the shooting took place.
On social media, police found photos of Randle with guns. His cell phone was also seized as evidence.
The court document also shows Randle told the Department of Children and Families (DCF) that he had a handgun because of suspected robbers reported the day before. Randle told investigators he had placed the gun on the bed in his bedroom and left the bedroom before the gun went off.
Randle told investigators his children knew not to play with guns. A probable cause document states there is sufficient evidence to support that Randle unlawfully stored or left a loaded gun with reach of a minor.
Randle’s first court appearance was Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. Court records show his bond was set at $10,000.
