logo
Davenport police address accidental shooting that left 4-year-old boy dead

Davenport police address accidental shooting that left 4-year-old boy dead

Yahoo24-02-2025

DAVENPORT, Fla. (WFLA) — Davenport Police Chief Steve Parker addressed the deadly shooting over the weekend that left a 4-year-old dead from an accidental gunshot to the head.
On Friday evening, 4-year-old Chosen Morris got ahold of a firearm in his parents' vehicle in their garage and accidentally shot himself. The child died from his injuries on Saturday at Arnold Palmer Hospital For Children.
The police department said the family was preparing to head out for the night when Chosen got into the vehicle, while his father, Robert, ran to the bathroom, and his mother, Quinta, checked their computer in the master bedroom.
His siblings, a 7-year-old boy and an 11-year-old girl were in the living room playing with their electronics, with earbuds in.
Officials said Quinta heard a 'pop' and ran out to the living room, believing one of her children broke something.
Instead, Quinta discovered the door leading to the garage open and found Chosen in the driver's seat with a gunshot wound to his head. Both parents rushed Chosen to AdventHealth Heart of Florida, located only two miles from their home on Citrus Landing Boulevard.
'They are devastated,' Chief Parker said, referring to Morris' parents. 'I can't even imagine what they're going through right now.'
Police said the gun under the driver's seat was a Smith & Wesson M&P .40 caliber handgun. Robert had left the gun in the vehicle on Thursday and had forgotten to remove it, according to the Sheriff.
'We are not seeking any criminal charges,' the chief added, saying the department does not believe there was any negligence from the parents.
The Chief of Police reminded residents to secure firearms and to keep them away from children. The Davenport Police Department also gives away free trigger locks to secure firearms, which can be picked up from the station.
'This is a tragic accident. As a father and grandfather, I can't imagine what Mr. and Mrs. Morris are going through right now,' Chief Parker said. 'Our prayers are certainly with the Morris family as they endure this heartbreaking tragedy.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Ex-Louisville star Russ Smith arrested for suspicion of DUI, reckless driving
Ex-Louisville star Russ Smith arrested for suspicion of DUI, reckless driving

New York Post

time9 hours ago

  • New York Post

Ex-Louisville star Russ Smith arrested for suspicion of DUI, reckless driving

Louisville Metro Police arrested a former Louisville basketball star early Sunday morning for driving under the influence of alcohol. Russ Smith, a member of the 2013 Louisville basketball team who won the NCAA Tournament that was later vacated, was stopped after police spotted him making a U-turn across multiple lanes and noticed his license plate tag had expired, the Courier Journal reported after viewing the arrest citation. Police detected a 'strong odor of alcoholic beverages' on Smith's breath when they first talked to him, and he failed a field sobriety test after he told officers that he drank 'two bourbon pours neat' before getting behind the wheel, according to the arrest citation. 3 Russ Smith was arrested early Sunday morning. Louisville Metro Corrections 3 Russ Smith looks to pass during Louisville's game in November 2012. Getty Images The Queens native 'swayed' when he stepped out of the car and failed a walk and turn test, WDRB reported. Smith had a 0.073 blood alcohol content, but in the state of Kentucky, drivers can still be prosecuted if they have a BAC of above 0.04 but below 0.08 as long as there is other evidence to support the case. 'That fact may be considered, together with other competent evidence, in determining the guilt or innocence of the defendant,' according to the statute in the state. A police spokesperson told WDRB that 'we will allow the arrest slip to speak for itself,' when asked about Smith's BAC. Smith faces charges of driving under the influence, reckless driving and having unregistered license plates. 3 Russ Smith drives to the basket during Louisville's game in March 2014. Getty Images He was released without bond and is due back in court for an arraignment hearing on June 11 at Jefferson County District Court. WDRB reported that Smith is slated to play in The Basketball Tournament this summer, a winner-take-all tournament with a $1 million prize. Smith played four years at Louisville, and he averaged 14.3 points per game. He had brief NBA stints with the Pelicans and Grizzlies, as well as some time in the G-League and overseas. Smith played his high school ball at Archbishop Molloy in Queens

No Supreme Court win, but Mexico pressures U.S. on southbound guns
No Supreme Court win, but Mexico pressures U.S. on southbound guns

Los Angeles Times

time21 hours ago

  • Los Angeles Times

No Supreme Court win, but Mexico pressures U.S. on southbound guns

MEXICO CITY — More than a decade ago, Mexican authorities erected a billboard along the border in Ciudad Juárez, across the Rio Grande from El Paso. 'No More Weapons,' was the stark message, written in English and crafted from 3 tons of firearms that had been seized and crushed. It was a desperate entreaty to U.S. officials to stanch the so-called Iron River, the southbound flow of arms that was fueling record levels of carnage in Mexico. But the guns kept coming — and the bloodletting and mayhem grew. Finally, with homicides soaring to record levels, exasperated authorities pivoted to a novel strategy: Mexico filed a $10-billion suit in U.S. federal court seeking to have Smith & Wesson and other signature manufacturers held accountable for the country's epidemic of shooting deaths. The uphill battle against the powerful gun lobby survived an appeals court challenge, but last week the U.S. Supreme Court threw out Mexico's lawsuit, ruling unanimously that federal law shields gunmakers from nearly all liability. Although the litigation stalled, advocates say the high-profile gambit did notch a significant achievement: Dramatizing the role of Made-in-U.S.A. arms in Mexico's daily drumbeat of assassinations, massacres and disappearances. 'Notwithstanding the Supreme Court ruling, Mexico's lawsuit has accomplished a great deal,' said Jonathan Lowy, president of Global Action on Gun Violence, a Washington-based advocacy group. 'It has put the issue of gun trafficking — and the industry's role in facilitating the gun pipeline — on the bilateral and international agenda,' said Lowy, who was co-counsel in Mexico's lawsuit. A few hours after the high court decision, Ronald Johnson, the U.S. ambassador in Mexico City, wrote on X that the White House was intent on working with Mexico 'to stop southbound arms trafficking and dismantle networks fueling cartel violence.' The comments mark the first time that Washington — which has strong-armed Mexico to cut down on the northbound traffic of fentanyl and other illicit drugs — has acknowledged a reciprocal responsibility to clamp down on southbound guns, said President Claudia Sheinbaum. She hailed it as a breakthrough, years in the making. 'This is not just about the passage of narcotics from Mexico to the United States,' Sheinbaum said Friday. 'But that there [must] also be no passage of arms from the United States to Mexico.' Mexico is mulling options after the Supreme Court rebuff, Sheinbaum said. Still pending is a separate lawsuit by Mexico in U.S. federal court accusing five gun dealers in Arizona of trafficking weapons and ammunition to the cartels. Meanwhile, U.S. officials say that the Trump administration's recent designation of six Mexican cartels as foreign terrorist organizations means that weapons traffickers may face terrorism-related charges. 'In essence, the cartels that operate within Mexico and threaten the state are armed from weapons that are bought in the United States and shipped there,' U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told a congressional panel last month. 'We want to help stop that flow.' On Monday, federal agents gathered at an international bridge in Laredo, Texas, before an array of seized arms — from snub-nosed revolvers to mounted machine guns — to demonstrate what they insist is a newfound resolve to stop the illicit gun commerce. 'This isn't a weapon just going to Mexico,' Craig Larrabee, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in San Antonio, told reporters. 'It's going to arm the cartels. It's going to fight police officers and create terror throughout Mexico.' In documents submitted to the Supreme Court, Mexican authorities charged that it defied credibility that U.S. gunmakers were unaware that their products were destined for Mexican cartels — a charge denied by manufacturers. The gun industry also disputed Mexico's argument that manufacturers deliberately produce military-style assault rifles and other weapons that, for both practical and aesthetic reasons, appeal to mobsters. Mexico cited several .38-caliber Colt offerings, including a gold-plated, Jefe de Jefes ('Boss of Bosses') pistol; and a handgun dubbed the 'Emiliano Zapata,' emblazoned with an image of the revered Mexican revolutionary hero and his celebrated motto: 'It is better to die standing than to live on your knees.' Compared with the United States, Mexico has a much more stringent approach to firearms. Like the 2nd Amendment, Mexico's Constitution guarantees the right to bear arms. But it also stipulates that federal law 'will determine the cases, conditions, requirements and places' of gun ownership. There are just two stores nationwide, both run by the military, where people can legally purchase guns. At the bigger store, in Mexico City, fewer than 50 guns are sold on average each day. Buyers are required to provide names, addresses and fingerprints in a process that can drag on for months. And unlike the United States, Mexico maintains a national registry. But the vast availability of U.S.-origin, black-market weapons undermines Mexico's strict guidelines. According to Mexican officials, an estimated 200,000 to half a million guns are smuggled annually into Mexico. Data collected by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives illustrate where criminals in Mexico are obtaining their firepower. Of the 132,823 guns recovered at crime scenes in Mexico from 2009 to 2018, fully 70% were found to have originated in the U.S. — mostly in Texas and other Southwest border states. In their lawsuit, Mexican authorities cited even higher numbers: Almost 90% of guns seized at crime scenes came from north of the border. Experts say most firearms in Mexico are bought legally at U.S. gun shows or retail outlets by so-called straw purchasers,who smuggle the weapons across the border. It's a surprisingly easy task: More than a million people and about $1.8 billion in goods cross the border legally each day, and Mexico rarely inspects vehicles heading south. In recent years, the flood of weapons from the United States has accelerated, fueling record levels of violence. Mexican organized crime groups have expanded their turf and moved into rackets beyond drug trafficking, including extortion, fuel-smuggling and the exploitation of timber, minerals and other natural resources. In 2004, guns accounted for one-quarter of Mexico's homicides. Today, guns are used in roughly three-quarters of killings. Mexican leaders have long been sounding alarms. Former President Felipe Calderón, who, with U.S. backing, launched what is now widely viewed as a catastrophic 'war' on Mexican drug traffickers in late 2006, personally pleaded with U.S. lawmakers to reinstate a congressional prohibition on purchases of high-powered assault rifles. The expiration of the ban in 2004 meant that any adult with a clean record could enter a store in most states and walk out with weapons that, in much of the world, are legally reserved for military use. 'Many of these guns are not going to honest American hands,' Calderon said in a 2010 address to the U.S. Congress. 'Instead, thousands are ending up in the hands of criminals.' It was Calderón who, near the end of his term, ventured to the northern border to unveil the massive billboard urging U.S. authorities to stop the weapons flow. His appeals, and those of subsequent Mexican leaders, went largely unheeded. The verdict is still out on whether Washington will follow up on its latest vows to throttle the gun traffic. 'The Trump administration has said very clearly that it wants to go after Mexican organized crime groups,' said David Shirk, a political scientist at San Diego University who studies violence in Mexico. 'And, if you're going to get serious about Mexican cartels, you have to take away their guns.' Special correspondent Cecilia Sánchez Vidal contributed to this report.

Curious Florida gator checks out deputy vehicle
Curious Florida gator checks out deputy vehicle

Yahoo

timea day ago

  • Yahoo

Curious Florida gator checks out deputy vehicle

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. (WFLA) — Charlotte County deputies got one of their vehicles checked out by an alligator on Friday, as he made sure the tread on their tires was road-ready. The gator was found at the intersection of Theresa Boulevard and Hillsborough Boulevard in Port Charlotte. After verifying the vehicle was safe to drive, the curious alligator continued on his way. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store