Parents of 4-year-old boy who accidentally shot, killed himself will not be charged: Davenport police

Yahoo

25-02-2025

The Brief
Charges won't be filed against the parents of a 4-year-old boy who accidentally shot and killed himself in Davenport.
The Davenport police chief said the parents are devastated by the tragedy.
The 4-year-old found the gun inside a car in the garage while the rest of his family was busy inside.
DAVENPORT, Fla. - Davenport's Chief of Police said he will not be filing charges against the parents of a boy who found his father's gun in his car and who accidentally shot and killed himself.
Chosen Morris, 4, lived with his parents, Robert and Quinta Morris, and two older siblings on Citrus Landing Boulevard where the shooting occurred Friday evening. Chief Steve Parker told FOX 13 he talked with Chosen's parents on Monday morning, who said they're just absolutely devastated by this tragedy, and they asked for privacy during this time.
RELATED: 4-year-old boy dies after accidentally shooting himself in Davenport Friday: DPD
Before the shooting, the family had been getting ready to go out for pizza, and they promised Chosen they would stop by a store to buy him a present, then they would play board games once they returned. While the rest of the family was busy inside the house, Chosen went to the garage.
"We believe that Chosen was excited about going out that evening and got into the car to wait for the rest of the family and, in doing so, found the firearm underneath the seat and, while playing with it, it discharged and caused his fatal injuries," said Parker.
Chosen was taken to a hospital in Orlando where he died of his injuries the following day.
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The Chief said Chosen's father simply forgot to remove the firearm and secure it in his bedroom after he got home from work on Thursday.
"I think the most important thing to start with is knowing where your firearms are at all times," said Parker. "When you get out of the car, know, 'I've got it locked in my glovebox if I need it,' or 'I know it's in my gun safe in my bedroom.'"
Secondly, make sure it's locked up, such as with a trigger lock which the department gives away for free, and the chief also suggests talking to your kids about the danger of guns, no matter how young they are, and taking them out for target practice, so they can learn how to safely handle firearms.
"It impacts all of us when these things happen, especially when you are a parent or a grandparent, because that can be your child, that could be your grandchild," said Parker.
HB 1087 was introduced last year that would have required owners to lock their firearms in a trunk or glove box when left inside an unoccupied car. If not, owners could face a second-degree misdemeanor. That law didn't go very far, but Chief Parker believes, if passed, it would help prevent unnecessary gun deaths.
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