⏱ 2 min read
A 21-month-old toddler is dead after accidentally shooting himself with a 9mm handgun belonging to his father, Deshawn Levelle Butler, 35, in Columbus, Ohio, on July 11. Butler, a previously convicted felon, now faces federal charges for illegally possessing a firearm. The shooting occurred on Quinby Drive in Columbus, and the child was pronounced deceased at Mount Carmel East Hospital.
According to charging documents, Butler was with the child during the shooting and fled the scene before law enforcement officials arrived. He turned himself in the next morning to Columbus police headquarters, where he allegedly told officers his son had discovered the handgun in an open safe in a bedroom.
Butler was previously convicted of aggravated burglary and is legally prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition. He also had outstanding warrants for misdemeanor domestic violence charges. Possessing a firearm as a convicted felon is punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF), and the Columbus Police Department announced the charges. Assistant United States Attorney Elizabeth A. Geraghty is representing the United States in this case.
📋 Key Facts
- Crime: Violent Crime
- Defendant: Ohio
- Location: OH
- Source: DOJ Press Release
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